The Press and Journal reports that the jobs of the Highland Council grounds and maintenance staff have been put up for tender on the website ‘Public Contracts Scotland’.
'Union leaders are furious that the jobs of possibly hundreds of Highland Council ground maintenance staff have been advertised on a website without consulting either their officials or the employees who might be affected.'
There have been rumours in Nairn for a week or two now that the local grounds and maintenance jobs might have been going or had already gone that way. At the last meeting of the Suburban Community Council there was talk of how groups in the Community would be soon asked to look after flower beds here and there in the town. This commentator took the opportunity to ask Highland Councillor Laurie Fraser if he knew anything about what was happening to these local jobs. He was of the opinion that nothing like that was happening. Well it looks like something potentially is happening Laurie! Again the P&J says:
‘In an email, the council’s head of roads and community works, Richard Guest, has told the GMB that a report on the issue will be put to the tecs committee on May 27. It states: “The council has made no commitment to issue a contract for grounds maintenance, but should it choose to do so, it is necessary to place the initial advertisement now.” ’
Well if the guys in the orange boiler suits are perhaps going out to the private sector why not start at the top end too? Why not put out feelers via the Public Contracts Scotland site to see how much cheaper the private sector could do the job of the Chief executive and those that run the departments?
Full Press and Journal article here and today both the Scotsman and the P&J also report on the care homes issue that may mean a threat to the survival of the Highland Council Administration. Still on the theme of cuts the Courier reports on how the fight to save Community Centres in Inverness is gathering pace.
3 comments:
Great idea to put the top end out to tender but you see we need to pay people like these a lot of money and keep them in post to make such decisions.
Not as though anyone else could do their job now is it!
Miaowww!
i can do that job just a case of filling in all the flower beds around the town. but someone beat me too it as they have started doing it. they did some last year and are doing more this year. now its just a case of cutting the grass. why not get some sheep and let them keep the grass down save on petrol. or some donkeys and you hire them out for rides along the seafront and you would free manure as well. still a lot of it about
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