Public and Commercial Services Union

Sent by email to all RDA Co-ordinating Committee contacts on 4.11.2009

Dear colleague
 
Staff in the North West Development Agency have been notified of dramatic proposals to make substantial spending reductions in 2010/11. These proposed savings are in addition to the recent re-structuring exercise which is nearing completion. Clearly, this is having an impact on staff morale at NWDA.

NWDA has said it needs to save £3.3m from the pay budget and other costs of an administrative nature. The Agency's proposal includes:

*All recruitment activity to be suspended with immediate effect.  However, recruitment to posts which Executive Directors believe to be essential to the delivery of the Agency’s Strategic Priorities will be considered on a case by case basis by Steven Broomhead, CEO and Diane Summers.

*All non-essential temporary staff and contractors will be given notice to terminate contracts and requests to continue with contracts will again be on a similar case by case basis.

*Voluntary Redundancy Scheme with staff exiting by 31 March 2010.

*Other efficiencies in the non-pay aspect of the admin budget.

PCS statement 
 
PCS has responded to this announcement with the following statement:
 
"PCS has been advised of this development and is concerned at the actions of the Government in slashing the Agency's budget and putting both the Agency and its staff at risk. We will now be discussing with the Agency the announced plans, in particular the proposed VR Scheme and the impact that this budget cut may have in relation to the agreed multi-year pay agreement.  We will be asking for more details of this decision and the impact it will have on the organisation, we will also be looking for assurances from the Agency as to how it will manage staff uncertainty and concerns over coming months. PCS's priority will be to as best as we can, to safeguard jobs and pay and ensure that any cost saving efficiencies are spread across all of the agencies budget and not just those impacting on staff's pay and job security."
 
Information requested
 
RDA reps and FTOs are requested to supply details of any similar proposals in our RDA network, prior to our RDA Co-ordinating Committee meeting on 8 December. An item to discuss the implications of such savings and the affect on staff will be tabled early on the agenda for that meeting. 
 
I propose that following the meeting we draw up specific recruitment material to build membership in order to respond to these and other announcements following a general election early next year.
 
Similarly we will need to discuss building on any political support or pressure that can be brought to bear on the future of RDAs. This includes making maximum use of the regional and national Select Committees to argue the case for well funded regional development agencies into the next period.
 

Simon Elliott

Northern Regional Secretary, PCS