Caithness staff could strike over £2.7m cuts to support budget
PUPIL support staff in Caithness and other parts of the Highlands could go on strike over "stealth cuts" of £2.7 million to their budget over the next three years.
That emerged after a ballot of GMB union members overwhelmingly voted for an industrial action ballot over the cutbacks.
According to the union, 63 additional support needs (ASN) staff could be redeployed across the local authority area, although Highland Council yesterday stressed it is "confident that we can manage the change without any job losses".
As part of the council's plan to save money it proposes to cut £700,000 from the service this year, with a further £1 million a year reductions in 2020 and 2021.
The union claims the undefined redeployment plan could leave hard-pressed staff faced with the prospect of "unmanageable work/life balance changes".
GMB Scotland senior organiser Drew Duffy said: "Members have overwhelmingly rejected their employer’s stealth cuts plan for the future of additional support needs delivery in our schools.
"For years our members have been working longer and harder with less resource and for less pay in real terms – a challenging working environment isn’t getting any easier and these proposals are the final straw for many staff.
"We warned the council their plans were unacceptable and ignorant of the realities of employment within the Highlands region, never mind running roughshod over any work/life balance commitments of our members.
"When an employer attempts to impose a flawed process that’s driven by cuts and not consultation, they cannot be shocked when the scale of rejection against them is so significant.
"Our message to the council is clear – listen to the voice of your staff and our members, step back from these proposals, and let’s talk about the future of service delivery together to avoid the real possibility of industrial action."
However, a Highland Council spokesperson took issue with the claims. She said: "We are continuing to work with all trade unions, including GMB, and we will continue to do so throughout the process.
"Some of the comments made by GMB are unacceptable and there is no evidence to substantiate these claims. The council is committed to protecting jobs in the Highlands and we are confident that we can manage the change without any job losses."