Union Say Redundancy Procedures Have Been Very Badly Handled

A leading representative of both Unite the Union and the Whitley Bay Council has said the redundancy developments within the Department of Community Culture and Leisure have been very badly handled.

Eric Holmes is the Secretary of the Employees Side of Trade Union Whitley Council.

He said he was only informed of the Department’s plans to make staff cut backs at the last minute.

On Monday he was told that there are roughly 10 permanent members of way staff, including chargehands and labourers that had, in his words, been deemed surplus to requirements.

This figure changed yesterday however with Minister David Cretney saying if an alternative option couldn’t be found then 11 staff would go in the first phase of the next financial year, with 11 possibly to follow bringing the total to 22.