Aberdeen City Council has unveiled plans to cut hundreds of jobs in a multi-million pound cost-cutting scheme.
The cash-strapped authority revealed that 370 full-time equivalent posts would be slashed over the coming months.
Trade unions said the squeeze was “extremely disappointing” and complained that the news was broken to staff in a statement to the London Stock Exchange.
The council has been under strict reporting requirements since becoming the first in Scotland to raise cash from the markets through a bond issue.
Of the posts to be cut, 140 are currently vacant and will simply not be filled. The remaining 230 – described as “opportunities for change” by council officers – will be realised through voluntary redundancy, early retirement or transfers to other roles.
Consultations on the job losses have now begun, with the ruling administration maintaining its commitment to avoid any forced redundancies during the process.
It is expected that the cuts, part of the move to a “target operating model” and savings of £125million over the next five years, will claw back £10.4million for council coffers in the coming financial year and £13million every year afterwards.
Council co-leader Douglas Lumsden said: “In challenging economic times with smaller budget grants and a bruised economy the council, like any organisation, has to evaluate and find ways to make savings.”
He added: “We will be doing all that we can to help those individuals involved to retrain and apply for the over 500 vacancies that remain.
“As an administration we are committed to our no compulsory redundancy policy and will be looking to achieve the reduction through our voluntary severance and early retirement.”
The move has attracted criticism from opponents.
Regional organiser for Unite the Union, Tommy Campbell, branded it “extremely disappointing.”
He said: “I’m particularly concerned that we have not been provided with the full information; we have just been given headline figures.
“I was also shocked that the council told the stock exchange everything before its own employees and trade unions.
“It’s a ridiculous situation.”
In order to help cut workforce costs, the council is also considering redistributing agency work among contracted staff, and consolidating teams carrying out duplicate work.
The council report into the plans notes that the situation “will cause uncertainty and anxiety” among employees, with a risk of some “feeling unsettled.”
However, it is aiming to mitigate this with a series of consultations and the release of a handbook entitled Employee Change Journey to everyone on its payroll.
Last night SNP group leader Stephen Flynn said: “These job cuts are a direct result of the administration’s inability to manage the books for the last six years coupled with their blinkered desire to move to a new target operating model.
“We’ve been clear from the outset that the new model lacks detail and it is therefore profoundly frustrating to see job cuts proposed without clarity as to the impact on services.”
Liberal Democrat group leader Ian Yuill added: “It’s a very worrying time for staff.
“We will not be supporting any compulsory redundancies. We have made that clear over recent years and that will remain our position.”
He joined criticism of the way the cuts were announced.
