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Union hits out at Comhairle job cuts        15/2/13

Council union Unison has warned that a raft of job cuts in the Comhairle will badly affect the local economy.

Unison says that the 70 or so posts being axed under budget savings will have a knock-on effect and risk other jobs in the private sector in the Western Isles.

Unison local chairperson Flora Somerville said the union is “extremely concerned that a further 70 jobs will be lost as a result of the 2013 - 2015 budget.”

She pointed out:: “Unison research shows that for every £1 a public sector worker takes home, 70p of that is spent in the local economy.  

“Furthermore, for each job lost in the public sector, another is lost in the private sector.  

“With the Comhairle having already cut around 200 jobs over the past two years and such a high reliance locally on public sector employment, each job lost has a significant and detrimental impact on the local economy and our communities.”

Ms Somerville continued: “The impact of many of the UK Government’s economic policies - including the Welfare Reform agenda - will become more apparent over the coming months.  

“The Unison Western Isles Local Government Branch believes that there will be a huge rise in demand for services which support the most vulnerable in our community.  

“With an aging population and no hope for additional funding, Unison believes it will be a huge challenge to continue to provide the vital services on which our communities - and indeed our members and their families - depend.”