Sefton workers rally to save local services and stop up to
1000 jobs going
14 December 2010
- MASS LOBBY OF SEFTON COUNCIL MEETING
- Bootle Town Hall
- Thursday, December 16th at 4pm
Workers from across Sefton Borough Council will join forces this
Thursday in protest at a feared 1000 jobs to be slashed from the
local authority.
Only weeks ago, the council proposed that 400 jobs would go
almost immediately but the workers and their unions, Unite, Unison
and the GMB, fear that following the further budget cuts announced
by minister Eric Pickles this week, the eventual jobs casualty toll
could actually be more than double this.
This Thursday's council meeting this will take the final decision
on where the cuts will fall, after the full grant allocation from
the Coalition government has been set out, but with Sefton council
already announcing at least £58m cuts over three years, fears are
growing that services and jobs will be hit hard.
Sefton BC has already said the bulk of its cuts will be in the
first year including:
* at least 400
redundancies
* the Area Based Grants for
schools have been cut, which will have a direct impact on schools
locally especially on the special educational needs budgets hitting
the most vulnerable pupils
* shorter opening hours for
leisure centres as they will be opening later and closing earlier,
denying council tax payers access to the services they fund and
value
* at least four libraries will
close.
Speaking ahead of the rally, Debbie Brannan, Unite regional officer
said: "The Coalition government far off in Westminster
is making cuts that will bring misery to the people of
Merseyside. Ordinary people, particularly the young and the
vulnerable will suffer greatly. And the tragedy is it does
not have to be this way. Throwing hundreds of
local people on the dole is a short-sighted waste of talent and
taxes.
"There is absolutely no need for the Coalition to push through
such savage cuts and at such speed. This cabinet of
millionaires may not ever need or value their local libraries,
leisure centres or social care facilities but the people of Sefton
do, which is why we will not stand by a let this happen."
The council’s unions - Unite, GMB and Unison - have organised
the rally to demonstrate local opposition. Last week the
joint trade unions advised the council that more than 90 percent of
council workers had indicated a willingness to take industrial
action to save services.
Debbie Brannan continued: "Our members have overwhelming
indicated that they want to resist the threat of major job cuts and
the slashing of terms and conditions. The morale of the
workforce is at an all time low because understandably they feel
they are being made to pay the price for problems made elsewhere,
and that they are very worried about how the staff who would remain
in post after this crisis will cope following such swingeing job
cuts.
"The three trade unions are completely at one in their
opposition to the job cuts but have always been prepared to listen
to reasonable proposals. It is time for Sefton BC to start
talking with us about saving our services."
ENDS
For further information, please contact Debbie Brannan on 07768
931 271
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