Council staff in strike vote over shake-up

HUMAN resources staff at a West Yorkshire council are proposing to strike over the way a reorganisation of their department is being handled.

Fifty members of the public sector union Unison at Kirklees Council’s human resources department voted to strike in a show of hands at a mass meeting. A secret ballot has to follow before a strike can be called.

Last week the authority said it was looking to cut 1,500 jobs over the next three years, although it hoped to avoid compulsory redundancies.

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Unison spokesman Mick Ryan said members did not object to the centralisation of the council’s five HR teams “but are worried by the heavy-handed rush to push the changes through without proper consultation”.

The council’s director of HR, Cliff Stewart, said: “We are in negotiations with the trade unions concerned, and this is an important part of the council's overall innovation and efficiency programme.”