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Merry Christmas – and you’re sacked
Town Hall axes 30 posts in ‘centralisation’ project
THIRTY Town Hall posts will be axed over Christmas after finance chiefs agreed a ‘centralisation’ project last Wednesday.
Workers from several departments will be told their jobs are surplus to requirement between now and December 31 during a ‘rationalisation’ of the way the council makes and processes invoices.
Finance boss Councillor Janet Grauberg said: “The job that was being done by 50 people will now be done by 20 people.
“This is an example of the workforce remodelling approach. The executive has decided that this its the right thing to do and the managers are implementing.”
Asked if the timing of the decision- with weeks to go until Christmas- had been taken into account, she said: “The consultation started on October 6. I’m confident that the process has been done in good order. It (Christmas) is not a consideration.”
On Wednesday night, the council executive approved the Invoice Centralisation Project, proposed in a report by the Director of Finance.
Where currently 200 staff process invoices as a small part of their jobs, the scheme will see a new team of 20 workers handle the job full-time, leaving the equivalent of 30 posts redundant.
The project aims ‘to reduce the overall headcount by 30 Full Time Equivalent posts and associated costs within the departments by 31 Dec 2006’ according to the report.
It added: “Annual staffing cost savings of £600,000 are expected… Steps will be taken to minimise revenue costs through the redeployment process. However, it may be that some of the first year savings will be needed to fund unavoidable severance costs.”
The Lib Dem/Conservative partnership running the borough has pledged to find a total of £7.5m in wage cuts for the 2007/8 budget, as part of a total savings package of £14m required to meet election promises of a council tax freeze.
Cllr Grauberg, however, denied that the 30 surplus staff would be made redundant by the New Year.
She said: “Its not as simple as to say: there will be 30 jobs to go. Yes, there will be posts affected. People will be able to apply for the new posts – until that work is completed, it is not possible to say what will happen to individuals.”
She added: “I’m not trying to be defensive – quite the opposite. This is the right thing to do.”
Most of the savings will come through the introduction next year of a new electronic procurement system for the Town Hall called e-Buy.
Camden deputy chief executive Neil Litherland said the reformed purchasing procedures would add an additional £550,000 worth of savings on top of the reduced wages bill.
“This system will allow us to ensure that we’re buying things at the right price,” he added. “It is a win-win situation. I’m not trying to convince you or your readers that there won’t be less jobs at the end of this, but the savings are on posts that the man and woman on the street don’t see the benefit of.”
The New Journal contacted Unison, the union with the highest Town Hall membership, but they did not respond. |
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