WORKERS at Glasgow City Council will not be asked to come forward for voluntary redundancy as the authority changes its approach to dealing with tightening budgets.

Before Covid-19, the council had revealed plans to open a voluntary redundancy scheme this month to reduce its total wage bill.

But a report to councillors reveals “significant” service reforms will now be made over a three-year period.

Voluntary redundancies could still play a part in saving cash, along with flexible retirement and staff turnover.

READ MORE: Council looks to cut jobs to cope with rising costs of equal pay bill equal pay bill

There is no target for the number of staff who might leave and the council states it remains committed to no compulsory redundancies.

Councillors are being asked to agree to revised arrangements for redundancies and early retirements when they meet on Thursday.

The report, by Robert Anderson, the council’s Head of HR, recommends no additional pension years would be paid to anyone taking voluntary severance – but standard terms of up to 30 weeks’ pay for those able to access a pension or 66 weeks for those with no access to these benefits would apply.

The council’s current policy allows for up to four added years of pensionable service in case of redundancy.

Councillor Michelle Ferns said: “The current voluntary severance arrangements have not been revised for a number of years.

“There is a need to do that to ensure an approach that not only best suits the council’s current needs – but recognises that our ways of working may change as we adapt to the recovery from the Covid crisis.”

A “trawl for registrations of interest” in voluntary redundancies had been scheduled for June 30 but had to be put on hold due to the pandemic.

The last “significant” council redundancy exercise concluded in 2013 and “operated on the basis that applications would be accepted”.

“While this approach did maximise the immediate savings available there remains doubt regarding the longer term sustainability of savings and concern regarding the impact that an uncontrolled scheme had on service provision,” the report states.

It adds any severance should have a robust business case which lays out the cost of the exercise and savings being made.

READ MORE: Glasgow City Council job cuts on hold due to coronavirus as unions hit out

Ms Ferns added: “It’s crucial that any prudent plan for service reform ensures the council has the right tools to support change in a way that is cost efficient – as well as giving the workforce, many of whom will welcome the new scheme, a flexible way of managing their working lives.

“This is particularly significant as the council and the city move towards recovery from Covid-19.

“The council has a responsibility to ensure that spending is sustainable, with clear benefits for Glaswegians.”

The last round of redundancies took place over three years, which the council states “allowed employees to better plan their eventual leaving but also allowed services to plan for that release in a way that was sustainable.”.

“This represents an attractive feature when placed beside a three year budget saving exercise as it allows service reform activity to be implemented in less of an emergency and more of a planned manner.”