Croydon Council payroll staff ballot for strike over potentially discriminatory restructure
Employees and residents should not pay for Croydon’s disastrous financial position, says GMB union
GMB union is to ballot members working at Croydon Council’s payroll department over strike action.
The local authority is proposing a departmental restructure in which a quarter of jobs are at risk of being lost.
Meanwhile grievances raised by GMB members have been ignored.
The union is concerned that not all staff are included in the restructure – with those affected exclusively women from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.
Staff have made a number of counter-proposals to save money and protect jobs, which have not been fully considered.
They have also submitted numerous grievances which have not been acknowledged by HR.
The ballot opens on 27 March and is due to close on 3 April.
Rachael Baylis, GMB Organising Assistant said:
“The current situation at Croydon Council is not the fault of those who are now being faced with job losses and increased workload, it is down to financial mismanagement and severe cuts to Local Authority Funding.
“GMB opposes these potentially discriminatory restructure plans and want to work with the council to find a solution that does not lead to yet another round of redundancies and increased workloads for remaining staff.
“Our members deserve so much better than what we are seeing – they just want to be treated fairly.
“Croydon needs to sit down with us and take workers counter proposals seriously. If they don’t get round the table with us, then we will see them on the Picket Line.
“GMB calls on Mayor Jason Perry to lobby the Government to fund Croydon fairly and avoid the disastrous programme of cuts that lie ahead.
“Employees and residents should not pay for Croydon’s disastrous financial position.”
