WORKERS are being kept in the dark over drastic council cuts which will lead to job losses, a union has claimed.

Cabinet members this month agreed a draft package of £10m of savings made by reducing the workforce and outsourcing services.

Unison has hit out at the proposals, warning the lowest paid will suffer.

It also insists it was not consulted on the plans before they were approved by cabinet

The union claims a proposal to cut £400,000 from the facilities management department, which includes cleaning, security and maintenance of council buildings, are “shrouded in secrecy” and will have an enormous impact on services.

Dave Knight, Unison Waltham Forest branch secretary, said: “Such savings can only be achieved by cutting jobs and driving down the wages of the lowest paid council workers.

“It is also very worrying how the council appears to want to continue with its obsession with outsourcing when it is clear from our experiences with contractors to date that cheaper privatised services do not provide any improvements.

“In fact, it often leads to poorer services that are more expensive.

“The council has not consulted the trade unions over these plans as yet and we are worried that they may already be inviting companies to bid for the work whilst keeping the trade unions in the dark”.

“Once again we see proposals to cut valuable services like consumer advice while consultants and interim managers continue to receive inflated salaries”.

Deputy council leader John Macklin, whose portfolio includes facilities management, has previously promised that savings will not affect front line services and that there won't “necessarily” be job losses to make up the £400,000.

The draft budget will see £1.7m cut from adult social care, job losses in the housing department and the axing of the council's consumer advice service, as well as the £400,000 saved by outsourcing management of council buildings.

The council has said deleted posts in adult social care are already vacant, meaning there will be no job losses, and 14 jobs will be lost in housing.

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