Aberdeen City Council workers to vote on strike action amid fire and rehire concerns

Workers at a council are being balloted on industrial action amid concerns over the threat of fire and rehire.

The GMB union notified Aberdeen City Council on Monday of a ballot on industrial action in a row over contract changes.

The council proposes to cut the working week from 37 to 35 hours for full-time workers and implement a pay freeze.

At a meeting last month, councillors voted for forced contract changes through fire and rehire to be considered only as a last resort.

The three-week GMB ballot on industrial action opened on Monday.

Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in public services, said: “It beggars belief that councils, or any public sector organisation, would think this is an acceptable way to treat staff.

“Councils should be looking to the best employers for inspiration, not the worst and most unscrupulous.”

The official ballot follows an internal poll from the union of members at the council which found 93% of respondents opposed the plans and 89% backed strikes to halt them.

Sean Robertson, GMB Scotland organiser in the council, said: “The survey of our members revealed overwhelming opposition to these measures and dismay at the threat to drive them through.

“Councillors already know this, know the strength of opposition and concern among staff, and know the threat of ‘fire and rehire’ is beyond the pale.”

An Aberdeen City Council spokesperson said: “Proposals for the 35-hour standard week were modified based on feedback from trade unions, including measures to preserve pay and mitigate any potential pay reduction.

“We have now entered a period of formal consultation to maintain engagement with trade unions and employees, seeking their feedback and input on the proposals.

“We encourage trade unions and employees to participate fully in this process to help shape the development of proposals.”

The spokesperson 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 as is set out in our framework agreement for industrial relations.”