More than 200 fire service support jobs at risk
More than 200 support staff at West Midlands Fire and Rescue service have been asked to take voluntary redundancy, it can be revealed today.
The cash-strapped service is asking for the redundancies as it seeks to cope with Government funding cuts of £10 million between 2011 and 2013. A total of 214 workers will be affected including 56 cleaners, 28 cooks and 130 other support workers. Bosses hope asking for people to take voluntary redundancy will avoid compulsory job losses.
The news comes just a week after it was revealed more than 2,000 staff were being consulted on proposals to change employees' contracts to cope with cuts.
A letter from the authority to the Fire Officers' Association trade union, said: "The commencement of a voluntary redundancy exercise will seek to enable the service to bring about the changes without the need for compulsory redundancies."
Fire Officers' Association spokesman Alan Tranter said: "Whilst the proposal seeks to lose these posts through a 'voluntary redundancy' exercise the number of people involved is significant.
"In the opinion of the Fire Officers' Association, this is a disappointing and depressing reflection of the pressures created by cuts in public service funding."
But David Johnson, the service's director of human resources, said: "It is not the case that we are looking to shed more than 200 support staff."
He said the voluntary redundancy exercise showed the organisation was committed to doing everything possible to avoid compulsory redundancies, including a recruitment freeze since 2009.
Last week the the Express & Star reported the service was consulting on changes to contracts which include capping of car mileage rates to 45p per mile from April 1, 2013, which would save £50,000 a year.
