First Minister John Swinney has refused to say when the Government will announce how many jobs will be lost through public sector reforms.
As ministers deal with a near-£5 billion black hole predicted by the end of the decade, the size of the public sector workforce is expected to shrink as part of a wider reform agenda.
Last week, Mr Swinney announced a reorganisation of the NHS in his first Programme for Government since May’s election, bringing the number of territorial health boards from 14 to just two, as well as plans to re-organise councils.
While the Government has insisted there will be no compulsory redundancies, it has failed to say how many jobs will have to go.
Speaking to the Press Association on Monday, the First Minister refused to say when an announcement would come.
“We’ve got a process to go through of making sure our public services are equipped for the future and that’s exactly what the public service reform programme is about,” he said.
“It’s about making sure that services are delivered as close to people as we possibly can do and wrapped around individuals, so that people have person-centred public services.
“That’s at the heart of the reform programme that I’m taking forward and of course that will involve change and we’ll work with partners in local government, in the trade unions, in the National Health Service, in the third sector to make sure that we do that in a way that delivers good services and good outcomes for members of the public.”
Pushed again for a timeline for when public sector staff will know how the reform programme will impact them, the First Minister said: “Our public services clearly rely on members of the public to deliver them – that is a central point of how we deliver our public services.
“So, as we talk through all of the discussions about the reform of the public services, we will work with all our partners in the trade unions and the third sector and local government and the National Health Service to make sure that we deliver those improvements to public services in a way that also delivers frontline employment for individuals in Scotland.”
On Monday, the Scottish Tories urged the First Minister to come before Holyrood to explain the extent of the plans.
The party’s public service reform spokesman Murdo Fraser accused the First Minister of not being able to answer “basic questions”, adding: “Swinney must urgently come to Parliament and make a statement that finally gives full details on exactly what his reforms will mean for Scotland.
“The current proposals look like they have been written on the back of a fag packet and Swinney must open himself up to scrutiny from MSPs on reforms that would have huge changes for the public sector.
“We welcome any plans to reduce the public sector which is bloated and inefficient under the SNP. But the shocking lack of detail and refusal to answer basic questions raises serious doubts about whether Swinney has the stomach for the fight or even has a clue about what he wants to do.
“It is time for him to finally show he is serious about tackling the £5 billion blackhole his party have created in Scotland’s finances and that starts by coming to Parliament and giving MSPs and Scots the full details on his changes.”
Trade unions have also raised concerns about the impact the plans will likely have on workers.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the Government had announced “a slash and burn programme for the NHS”.
“The proposals will inevitably result in swingeing cuts and thousands of job losses across the public sector,” she said.
“Our members will not be the collateral damage for the Scottish government’s failings.”
STUC general secretary Roz Foyer said: “Presenting the public with a misleading choice of cuts packaged as public service reform was disingenuous at best and a falsehood at worst from the Scottish Government.
“Crushing down Scotland’s health boards into two may seem bold on paper but further centralising power when local communities are crying out for health and social care services tailored to their needs seems more reckless than revolutionary.
“This is not the way to do public sector reform.
“Before the axe is swung on any public service, whether health, council or social care, Scottish Government ministers would do well to engage meaningfully and purposefully with the workers who deliver on the ground.
“This cannot be done in the timescales outlined.”
Share