Almost 200 of West Lothian Council’s lowest paid staff will see their wages slashed from August as budget cuts hit working hours and pay packets by as much as £80 a month.
A GMB official this week branded the effects on school cleaning staff an “outrage” which had “flown under the radar.”
In response the council said it would work with staff to “mitigate the impacts of the cuts where possible”.
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Tom Carr-Pollock, Branch Secretary, West Lothian GMB, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The 50% reduction in cleaning hours in primary schools on a Friday saves £166,000 over the next two years, which impacts on almost 200 low paid predominately female staff.”
He added: “The saving is that they will reduce the cleaning in all primary schools on a Friday from four hours to two hours, which in turn will reduce most staff's take home pay by approximately £80 per month.
“This saving, alongside the increase in rent of 3.5% and a council tax increase of 5.8% means more and more families in West Lothian will be put into poverty.
“There is also the issue that staff need to work a certain amount of hours per week to qualify for Universal or family tax credits and this will have a significant impact on them also.”
Mr Carr-Pollock said the move would also wipe out last year’s pay deal, and added: “It is a major concern that a minority Labour-run administration feel it is better to cut wages to the lowest paid in the council, and put families into potential further poverty, than ask community councils to use their own disbursement funding to pay for festive lighting and the additional FTE required to maintain the lights, it is an absolute outrage."
He said the union was no longer in talks with the council. “My understanding is that these cuts will happen after the school summer holidays, so they’ll need to engage with us shortly as notice will need to be given as it is a contractual change to terms and conditions.”
A West Lothian Council spokesperson said: “We have a £39.4 million budget gap to bridge over the next five years, as the funding we receive is not increasing as much as the additional costs of delivering essential services for local residents.
“The Council’s revenue budget was approved in February 2023 and included revised cleaning standards in schools from August 2023. This means that on Fridays, when schools are only used in the mornings, only statutory cleaning, such as toilets, bins and public areas, will be carried out.
“This move maintains staff numbers and protects jobs, while allowing us to make the required savings to balance our budget. We recognise it will mean a reduction in hours for some staff members, and we will work with those affected to find ways to try and mitigate the impact where possible.”
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