Union leaders fear that as many as 700 Angus Council jobs will be axed under compulsory redundancy.
The GMB union is seeking showdown talks with the local authority’s chief executive after claiming that employees are clamouring to join their ranks.
But the council’s leader said the authority “rejected entirely” claims it has treated staff unsympathetically as it faces a £19 million package of cuts.
Local union boss John Begley said phones in his office have been “ringing off the hook” as council staff seek representation including dozens of officials from middle management and above.
He told The Courier: “Almost the entire top tier management team were forcibly removed, at huge cost, and replaced by the new People’s Directorate at an added cost of approximately £346,000.
“Where did they find this added money at a time when they are imposing huge cuts on the workforce?
“Although not a written agreement, we had a mutual understanding on a ‘no redundancy policy’ which was immediately cancelled by this new management team.
“They have openly admitted that up to 600-700 employees could lose their posts over the next two to three years.
“Even if we accept the need for savings although we believe the savage cuts are very much higher than required this is no way to treat a loyal and hard-working employee group.”
Mr Begley said he also represents Perth and Kinross and Dundee councils, which have not seen the same scale of change, nor level of “panic” among their employees.
He argued the prospect of making so many people redundant would have a large negative impact on the local economy.
He said: “Has it been considered that these people are, almost totally, Angus citizens? Has it been considered that these people are, at present, contributing to the council as a whole and that this will immediately cease with most of them having to claim benefits and playing no part in the economy of Angus?
“Not content with this they are also imposing swingeing cuts to salaries, with people possibly losing around £2,000 per annum but being required to carry out exactly the same function.
“Again, the new management do not stop at this draconian step but now intend to impose a major cut to the meagre redundancy payments the employees will receive when they are removed from employment.
“I would ask all involved to reconsider this drastic action and look at another way of addressing the need for savings and to work with the trade unions to improve the services of the council and act as the ‘caring council’ they purport to be.”
In March the council set out an “overarching” document entitled “managing workforce change”. This pledged to “redesign jobs, change job roles and invest in the development of new skills” and to explore “every reasonable alternative” to compulsory redundancy.
Council leader Iain Gaul said the local authority has been “very open” on the financial challenges it faces.
He said: “This has, for some considerable time, been the subject of regular and productive discussion with trade union representatives as well as direct briefings with staff. The council has at all times been open with our employees about the increasingly difficult financial position, the changes we need to make and approach we are taking.
“I reject entirely Mr Begley’s claim that Angus is implementing change less sympathetically than neighbouring councils. I am confident that we are doing so fairly and sensitively and I do not recognise the negative picture that Mr Begley has presented.
“Angus Council is well aware of the potentially negative impact this necessary change programme may have on employees and as is stated in our Managing Workforce Change policy our overriding priority is to ‘ensure effective and efficient service delivery but (it) will always do this in ways which seek to avoid detriment to employees and will, as far as possible, mitigate the effect of unavoidable detriment’.
“This principle was approved by all elected members. It is also an approach discussed with all the council’s trade unions and, as far as I am aware, acknowledged by them, as it is by the council, as an unavoidable reality albeit one with which none of us is happy.”
In its recent budget Angus Council agreed a three-year package of savings and cuts amounting to £19m.
A programme of service reviews are now under way to help the council achieve the further savings needed to reach its savings target.
The council agreed last month to commission the services of an external partner on a ‘spend to save’ basis, that is to say the savings identified will be considerably greater than the cost of engaging a partner.
Contract arrangements and fees have still to be finalised.