17 May 2009

How not to sack staff and influence people

Further to previous blogs, Tory H&F council has given its staff until the end of May as the latest deadline to agree to a change in their contract.

The council has now given three dates by when employees must agree - 24 April, the end of May and the legal one of 30 September. If someone does not sign by 30 September, how can the council sack them? Any appeal at industrial tribunal will surely argue that the council gave so many deadlines to sign, how did staff know which deadline would result in the sack?

Not only is this Tory council incapable of running its services efficiently, it can't even sack its staff efficiently! If the council do not withdraw this change of contract or tone it right down, it's likely that thousands of staff are going to sign under protest and take it to a tribunal as unfair dismissal from their old contract! How much will that cost the council in cash and bad publicity?

Questions are also being asked about how much has been spent on this pointless exercise so far: H&F council has had many meetings with the unions, staff consultation groups and numerous management meetings; they have hired consultants, sent out letters to all staff, produced a business case etc etc. So what is it all costing?

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