Cheshire West and Chester Council denies axing 2,000 posts

Oct 6 2011 by David Holmes, Chester Chronicle

CHESHIRE West and Chester Council has denied claims in a union newsletter that the authority has axed 2,000 jobs over the past two years.

The council admits about 1,000 jobs have gone since local government reorganisation but the latest West Cheshire Unison newsletter claims another 1,000 have disappeared.

Its author, Ray McHale, addressing an ongoing terms and conditions dispute which could lead to strike action, wrote: “The council indicated the trade unions accepting cuts in terms and conditions would reduce the need for redundancies.

“However, on top of the 140 redundancies the council announced it would make this year, about 350 staff have been forced to retire because they were 65 or over.”

“Managers are indicating that almost all voluntary leavers are not being replaced – making the council’s commitment to minimise job losses meaningless. Despite cutting 1,000 jobs at LGR the council has now cut at least another 1,000 jobs in the last two years.”

A council spokeswoman said about 1,000 jobs had gone since local government reorganisation. Staff terms and conditions had to be addressed to help save £44m over three years.

“We feel protecting services and jobs is more important than continuing to pay additional premium payments to staff on top of salaries which are already very reasonable when compared to other sectors.”

Since December 2010, 175 employees over 65Šhad left the organisation, not 350 as claimed by the union.