There will be no compulsory redundancies made by West Dunbartonshire Council as they look to change the opening hours of Clydebank Town Hall.
The local authority says it will continue to work with trade unions and agencies who have raised concerns about proposals to open the Town Hall at the weekend which the council says would make the building more “open and accessible” to the public.
Members of the cultural committee had been expected to adjust the Hall’s opening hours at this morning’s meeting but it was agreed to continue the agenda until next week.
Councillors previously wanted to open the building, which has been closed since the start of the pandemic, seven days a week.
But new proposals to open the hall from Wednesday through to Sunday and close it to the public every Monday and Tuesday were thought to be more appropriate, with councillors and staff still having access to the site on those days, meaning it would operate seven days a week.
Trade Unions say the plans, which would cost £50,000 more a year, or £25,000 for a six-month pilot, are a bad idea and that the changes were unacceptable.
An update was brought before the special cultural committee this morning.
Independent councillor Baillie Dennis Agnew said: “There will be no dismissal as far as I am concerned and it is certainly not in the thinking of this committee.
“I would like to make that correction and any other discussions regarding contractual work is operational and will be done through the appropriate channels working with the trade unions as we respect our partnership with our officers, all the other agencies and our trade unions.
“Those structures and protocols are in place and they will adhere to them. There will be no ad hoc kind of moves to change that thinking.
“Just to address anyone’s fears, there will be no compulsory redundancies. I will continue this item again next week at the earliest.”
