Antrim and Newtownabbey Council urged to ‘stand by their colleagues’

Initially, the local authority announced that it was to shed 73 “short service” and agency staff.

Now media reports suggest that as many as 375 of its workers, believed to be just over half its workforce, may be furloughed after the council  decided to temporarily defer a proposal to release 46 short service staff .

The council had warned that it would  “continue to plan for urgent action” to ensure the provision of essential services amid “serious concerns about ongoing financial sustainability”.

Unite regional officer Kieran Ellison said that 27 agency workers, 17 workers on temporary fixed-term contracts and 29 permanent workers with less than one year’s employment were to have been shed initially.

The Alliance Party insisted after the first announcement that any proposed redundancies were to have been brought back to councillors for consideration.

A statement issued by the council’s Alliance Party team on social media after a meeting behind closed doors last month said: “The Alliance team specifically requested at the meeting that any proposed redundancies be brought back to councillors for consideration but this did not happen with the 73 redundancies announced. We will be seeking answers around this.

“We know there will be difficult decisions to take to implement the financial plan but we believe these need to be measured and in co-operation with, and consideration of, potential support and guidance coming from the NI Executive.”

A spokesperson for Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council said: “All elected members will have the opportunity to review and discuss papers in relation to the Emergency Financial Plan and the Temporary Job Retention Scheme/Furlough at the special council meeting this evening.”

Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey has confirmed that councils are eligible to apply to furlough staff through the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme.

The minister said: “My priority has been to ensure that the rights of workers are respected and to protect jobs.

“Our 11 councils provide very important functions and services, continuing to do so during this emergency  and looking ahead, councils need to be ready to play their part in the economic recovery. ”

However, the council has suggested that the UK-wide furlough scheme for staff may only cover a small percentage of the current budget gap.

Unite has written to the NI Executive minister, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Chancellor to demand clear guidelines on public sector eligibility for the coronavirus furlough scheme.

Mr Ellison commented: “Unite would like to thank those political representatives who were involved in securing the current extension. We call on all councillors to stand by their employees when this issue comes back before them.”

The Department for Communities said “each council is responsible for making its own spending decisions, including how and when to draw on its reserves.  Reserves should not be held without a clear purpose.”

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter

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