REGIONAL union chiefs have been drafted in to tackle West Somerset Council bosses after employees discovered many of their existing jobs and duties have been effectively axed in the latest squeeze on staff resources. Whilst council managers have given assurances that no-one will be made redundant as a result of a restructuring exercise, staff learned last Thursday that many of their roles have been scrapped. And many of the positions offered to staff bear no resemblance to the work they are currently doing. As reported in last week's Free Press, council chiefs are planning to reduce the workforce by as much as 15 per cent over the next three years by restructuring existing departments and losing workers through "natural wastage". Staff in every department of the authority have been affected; some are midway through lengthy courses to gain new qualifications and may no longer be able to complete them, while others have seen their duties wiped out and not replaced anywhere within the new structure. Staff in the planning, environmental health and housing departments are all known to be particularly unhappy with the management's plans, although many in the customer services zone seem to have fared better. Sources told the Free Press that originally the staff were split down the middle by the restructuring exercise - half were happy with promises of more money, while the remainder were left in limbo. But despite cash promises, no-one's wages will be guaranteed until a job evaluation exercise has been completed, and now the original euphoria appears to be wearing off as the realisation sinks in that there will ultimately be fewer staff to do the same amount of work. Last week, West Somerset Unison chairman Linda Sully said the union had real concerns that anyone who chose to remain with the authority would face a much heavier workload. She said managers effectively wanted to cut the workforce by as much as 15 per cent over the next three years, while all staff were being told they would have to reapply for a job. This week, she confirmed that Unison regional officer Helen Eccles would be meeting council bosses and local union representatives on Monday. Chief executive Tim Howes refused to speak to the Free Press, saying in a statement issued through media and public relations officer Stacey Beaumont, whose own post has been deleted from the new structure: "I feel under no obligation to discuss this matter with the media." Mr Howes has told staff he wants to cut the number of employees from 107 to 90. Staff have been given two weeks to reapply for any job they believe should be theirs, while those who have no directly comparable job to apply for have no idea what the future will hold. The authority currently has a policy of no compulsory redundancies and existing staff all have contracts, so it is unclear what will happen if large numbers of workers do not "buy into" the new structure. While councillors have repeatedly been told that everyone at the council would have a job if they wanted one, Cllr Bryan Leaker said it had not been made clear that many of the jobs on offer were not like-for-like, and he urged any disaffected workers to contact him. He said: "I spoke to Mr Howes, in particular, about my concerns for our press officer Stacey Beaumont and was assured by him that she had a job in the new structure and that while her job title might change her role would just be transferred across. "However, I am aware there are concerns among the staff about the job descriptions in the new structure and I myself am concerned that councillors knew nothing about this." He also accused council leader Cllr Christine Lawrence of misleading councillors at last month's full council meeting when she denied claims that council staff had been offered "further incentive" to take redundancy. He believes many staff are effectively being forced out and will have no option but to take redundancy as their jobs no longer exist. Cllr Lawrence denied she had misled members and said she she had been told that no-one would be made redundant as there would be a job for everyone - although not necessarily the job they were currently doing. "We are giving people the opportunity to move and develop in their careers," she said. "If we're going to be a modern authority we have to be flexible. "The unions are happy, I think, as no-one has come to me." But one worker told the Free Press that staff were far from happy with the new structure and added: "They are not just taking away people's jobs, they are taking away their aspirations." Only last November, deputy chief executive Rod Latham warned cabinet members that the authority had "critical" staffing levels in some departments. Speaking about the impact of voluntary redundancies which were taken well before the latest restructuring exercise got underway, he said: "Members are well aware of the savings that have been achieved this year and the efforts that remaining staff have made to achieve this and maintain services. "Staff in other areas continue to operate at or near critical levels as a result of reductions that have been made in previous years because this process is not a new one." Two months earlier, Government watchdogs criticised the council's drive to save money through voluntary redundancies and questioned the logic behind some of the decisions. The Audit Commission said it had real concerns about the "lack of transparency in the decision making process" and said there was no evidence to prove senior officers had thoroughly considered the impact of the policy. Inspector Terry Bowditch said that although he had received reassurances from members of the council's corporate management team that thorough discussions had taken place, there was no written proof.
