Fears of 2,400 Shropshire Council jobs axe
Thursday 11th November 2010, 4:18PM GMT.
Union chiefs today said that they feared 2,400 jobs could be lost across Shropshire Council as the authority looks at ways to save up to £76 million over the next four years.
The GMB voiced its fears after Telford & Wrekin Council last week announced it could cut up to 530 jobs over the next 18 months.
The warning came as about 70 people protested outside the Shirehall in Shrewsbury today over its plans to cut staff costs by £1 million a year. A full council meeting was discussing the issue this afternoon.
Councillors were met in the foyer of the building by a group of union members chanting “stop the cuts” and “Lib Dem traitors”.
The proposed changes mainly focus on car user and mileage allowances affecting about 1,200 staff and a cut in redundancy payments.
But today the GMB said it feared up to 2,400 jobs could be cut. Chris Humphreys, GMB officer for members at the council, said: “These savage cuts will devastate services to the Shropshire community and will have serious economic impact too. Telford & Wrekin Council has already announced cuts .
“GMB is consulting with members in both councils in relation to combating this unprecedented attack. GMB is also seeking contact with community groups and service users to discuss resistance to the cuts for the most vulnerable members in the community.”
Telford & Wrekin Council chief executive Victor Brownlees said: “We will continue to do all we can to reduce actual compulsory redundancies.
“I recognise that this is a very unsettling time for staff.”
No-one at Shropshire Council was available to comment.
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