Bins could be left overflowing, nurseries could be left bereft of staff and vital support services for the most vulnerable could grind to a halt under a promise to unleash strike “chaos” across Aberdeen within weeks.
Unions are racing to ballot members on strikes as the council over contentious changes.
There are fears some of the city’s lowest-paid employees could be plunged further into poverty by plans to cut their working week down to 35 hours.
And union chiefs warn that a system already propped up by the goodwill of workers could soon fall apart.
That’s even without the industrial action they are now seeking to officially ballot members on.
Internal polling by GMB Scotland has revealed 93% of members oppose the controversial plans.
And the council has refused to rule out using soon-to-be-outlawed “fire and rehire” if staff hold out.
How likely is a vote to strike if Aberdeen council workers remain at odds with bosses?
GMB’s Aberdeen City Council organiser Sean Robertson told us the threat of strikes is “most definitely” on the table.
“I think the chances of industrial action is imminent,” he said.
His poll showed 89% of members asked would strike to stop the changes to the terms and conditions.
He added: “Our membership is increasing all the time. And there are hundreds of employees affected by this change.
“There’s every chance of a ballot being served in the very near future if the council doesn’t listen to the opposition of staff – especially on the need to take fire and rehire off the table.
“I think we’d like to have a mandate in place before April – which would give us a period of six months to take industrial action.”
‘The ball is in their court’
However, the local authority does still have the power to waylay industrial action.
Mr Robertson told us: “But Aberdeen City Council can stop all the chaos and uncertainty going into next month if they speak to unions.
“The ball’s in their court to take the threat of fire and rehire away.
“And then we can really get to talking about the future of council workers.”
Why are staff so unhappy?
There are fears an initial pay freeze being imposed to ensure workers’ pay remains the same when they reduce from 37-hour weeks to 35 hours will last years – and mean they could miss out on improved pay they’d otherwise be in line to receive.
The restructure will impact full-time members of staff, but not those working term-time in schools.
‘I need to work more than 50 hours a week as it is’
A social worker, kept anonymous by GMB Scotland to protect their job, told us that no risk assessments had been shared with staff showing how Aberdeen’s most vulnerable would be spared from the impact of the “shambolic mess”.
They said: “The service demand and pressures are so great that I cannot do my current job in 37 hours and regularly work 50 plus hours a week.
“This is just expected and managers will continue to expect it if this proposal is imposed because the work must be done or families’ welfare is at risk.
“So skilled and committed workers will have their wages frozen while doing the same work under even more pressure. It is wrong and unfair.
“The situation already feels unsafe and staff who routinely go above and beyond to provide what is lifeline support are absolutely dismayed by this.”
‘Workers already using foodbanks will suffer more’
Another city worker told us the hours reduction “feels like a kick in the teeth” for his colleagues and the public.
He expects to lose three weeks’ salary a year as he doesn’t expect the workload to decrease in his already-understaffed department.
GMB Scotland fear the pay freeze will hit frontline workers hardest, in services like social care where most staff are women.
Nearly half of the union’s affected members live in the most deprived areas of Aberdeen.
We’re told some already rely on foodbanks to stay afloat.
“It’s coming as energy, food and council tax bills are all going up. It’s a double or triple whammy,” union organiser Mr Robertson told us.
“It’s just unacceptable when we’re all working to eradicate poverty in the cost-of-living crisis that families put under this strain.
“It’s never too late for the council to do the right thing and to stop this plan before it does real damage.”
What do council leaders say over looming vote on Aberdeen strike?
Last month SNP council co-leader Christian Allard stressed that fire and rehire would be a “last resort for a few, few number of staff if the union and officers have not agreed” during talks.
That same day, as protestors gathered outside the Town House, his SNP colleague John Cooke said: “Trade unions demonstrating outside… It’s a very well known tactic in a negotiation.
“It doesn’t mean everyone is going to go on strike immediately. It’s a tactic.”
He later called Labour and opposition councillors “an absolute shower” for voting for the same organisational restructure that has led to the hours freeze, as the council looks to claw back £5 million.
However, the opposition members say the plans they voted on did not have any detail.
‘We hope they don’t go on strike’
An Aberdeen City Council spokesperson said the authority had worked with unions to form the proposal – ensuring they would “mitigate any potential pay reduction” alongside cutting hours.
They added: “We encourage trade unions and employees to participate fully in this process to help shape the development of proposals.”
In response to the social workers’ concerns, the spokesperson insisted that department heads are “consulting with the teams to address these concerns and explore possible mitigations”.
They added: “We would hope that trade unions will continue to engage with us during the formal consultation period and would exhaust the disputes procedure as a means of resolving differences before embarking on any form of industrial action.”
Read more:
Conversation