Up to 300 jobs could be at risk in Hull, UNISON has warned, after the east Yorkshire council asked staff to register “expressions of interest” in applying for voluntary redundancy.
A council email to staff this week cited “increasing financial pressures” for the move.
The council lost 1,981 jobs between 2010 and 2015, reducing its workforce by 32%.
And deputy council leader Daren Hale says that its funding from the government fell by £115m between 2010-11 and 2016-17 – a cut of almost 47%, which he described as “unprecedented and continuing”.
UNISON branch secretary Adrian Kennett said there could be “about 300″ jobs at risk in the latest move, depending on who can go, what grades they are and how much that saves the council”.
But he told the BBC that some workers who might answer the call for voluntary redundancy could be in areas “the council will not be able to let go, such as adult care, social services, street scene, things like that”.
And he warned: “There are going to be services that are going to be closed down, privatised –probably outsourced further – and we’re going to see a further driving down of terms and conditions for the staff.”
UNISON is also campaigning nationally against the cuts to local services, following the scale of cuts go local government funding announced in the government’s spending plans.
Since 2010, council have collectively lost £12.5bn through cuts in central government grants, and more is to come.
