The boss of Tayside Contracts has denied letters sent to staff warning them about absenteeism is the first step towards pushing them out the door.
Staff members received letters from managing director Iain Waddell before Christmas telling them that if the absentee rate remains above 2.1% six days a year then they could be dismissed.
The letter informs workers that if their absentee rates do not improve they will be sent a second warning letter and then if there is still no improvement they will be dismissed.
Last month Mr Waddell warned council cuts may mean job losses at Tayside Contracts, which sparked fears absentee rates could be used to get rid of some staff.
One employee who contacted The Courier said: “I know of three people who have received letters. It looks like a fly way of getting rid of people without having to pay redundancy.”
However, Mr Waddell said the letters were part of the company’s standard way of managing staff absences and improving attendance levels.
He said: “In 2014 we had discussion with the unions about how we manage sickness absences.
“One of the things that came out of that was that some people were falling through the cracks with absences, so if someone is absent on three occasions in a year or six days we look at the reasons of their absences and then go through a process to improve attendance levels.”
Mr Waddell said staff absences through illness are a “considerable cost” to Tayside Contracts and so reducing rates of absenteeism is vital. But he stressed there is no plan to use absenteeism to reduce staffing levels and that people who may be off for an extended period of time due to a serious illness or injury have nothing to fear.
“We look at their lifetime average for attendance so that works for staff if they have been here for a long period of time,” he said. “If they have had a long absence their average is not that greatly affected.”
Jim McFarlane from Unison said: “We would have concerns about anyone who was feeling threatened and would be looking for the employer to put support in place.”
Last month Mr Waddell said the company may have to consider voluntary redundancies because of cuts to council budgets. Although Tayside Contracts is an arm’s-length organisation, cuts could lead to councils cutting back on work that would normally go to Tayside Contracts.
Mr Waddell said council savings could lead to job losses among those who provide frontline services for Angus, Dundee and Perth and Kinross councils, although these would be done through voluntary rather than compulsory redundancies.