Letters / Inaccurate and unhelpful
Brian Smith’s reported remarks about the cuts in the council’s budget seem to me both inaccurate and unhelpful (SIC unions fear staff cuts being forced through; SIC 30/11/12).
The council has not frozen the unions out of the consultation. We’ve repeatedly invited them to participate.
Contrary to Brian’s allegation, no councillor wants to see compulsory redundancies. But, with the budget over-run we’ve inherited, it’s obvious that early retirements and voluntary redundancies, together with more economical ways of doing things, will probably not be enough to meet the target.
You don’t need a calculator to work out how many jobs would have to go if we tried to achieve all the spending cuts by firing staff: if the average cost of employing a council staffer is about £30,000 a year (including wages and other costs), then reducing the annual budget by some £15 million would mean around 500 fewer full-time council jobs.
But that’s not what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to minimise the pain that unavoidable cuts will cause.
That’s why we’ve asked the unions to come forward with their own suggestions. If they think our figures are wrong, let’s hear the details and see their alternative interpretation of the council’s financial plight, and their prescription for resolving the problem.
What obviously cannot be on the table at these negotiations is the suggestion that things continue almost as they are.
As I’ve tried to explain before, the council can’t postpone this problem by printing money, or solve it by taxing the rich. Only governments can do that.
Councillors have no option but to balance our budget. If we don’t, the government has powers to do it for us. Then we’d see compulsory redundancies on a massive scale.
It’s precisely to avoid that unpleasant scenario that we’re looking in such great detail at all the options – and at the effects on the public and on our staff.
I hope all the staff unions will accept that we’re acting in good faith and will come back to the table to negotiate.
Meantime, if union representatives don’t like council policy (and I understand why they don’t) they should direct their criticisms to the elected local politicians, not start slagging off council directors who’re only carrying out instructions democratically voted through at council meetings.
Cllr. Jonathan Wills
Independent
Lerwick South ward
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