Published: Tuesday, 20th May, 2008 10:30
Deal of 'Oh no' deal
By Mike Farrell
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A CONTROVERSIAL council workers’ pay deal could saddle the skint authority with a crippling wage bill leading to service cuts, it has been warned.
The cash-strapped council may not be able to fund the agreement without it seriously impacting on frontline services and leading to job losses, claims the ruling SNP group.
The settlement — which has yet to be fully costed — was forced through on Wednesday due to a Labour numbers advantage on the vote.
The SNP’s proposal — which was defeated — would have meant council workers facing wage cuts under the Single Status Agreement, would not lose out for three years — costing West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) around £20m.
But Labour’s deal upped this period of “no detriment” to five years, which could add millions more to the cost.
Going into the special meeting on Wednesday, ahead of the decision, unions had warned that their members were willing to strike if a satisfactory outcome was not achieved.
Read this week's Reporter for the full story
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