90pc of staff fear for their jobs says council survey (From This Is Lancashire)

90pc of staff fear for their jobs says council survey

8:31am Tuesday 18th September 2012 in News

NEARLY 90 per cent of Bolton Council staff fear for their jobs , a new survey has revealed.

Figures released as part of Bolton Council ’s staff survey — which is carried out every two years — show only 13 per cent of its 5,000 employees feel their position is secure, compared to 37 per cent in 2010.

But despite the fall — which has been blamed on the impact of spending cuts — staff feel more motivated at work than they did two years ago.

The report found there was increased concern about workloads and training , with 60 per cent feeling they had a reasonable workload compared to 67 per cent in 2010. Staff who felt they were recognised for the work they do fell from 46 per cent to 42 per cent, while 62 per cent felt there was a good atmosphere on their team — down from 69 per cent.

But employees who said they felt motivated at work rose from 70 per cent in 2010 to 76 per cent, while those who said they were committed to helping the council “achieve its ambitions and priorities for improvement”

increased from 75 per cent to 79 per cent.

A report presented to the council’s ruling cabinet at a meeting yesterday said there had been a “general positive shift in perceptions”.

It also said the 2010 figures had been affected by staff pay reviews causing a “temporary lull in morale”.

But where staff satisfaction had fallen, the report placed the blame on the council’s bleak financial position. The authority has been forced to slash spending by £60 million in the last two years, shed 833 jobs and faces the prospect of a further £35.6 million of savings and 500 job losses between 2013-15.

Bolton Unison branch secretary Bernadette Gallagher said job uncertainty may be behind some of the more positive figures, a claim rejected by council chief executive Sean Harriss who said all answers given in the survey were anonymous.

Mrs Gallagher said: “People are more afraid to put their head above the parapet and complain. They keep their head down because they’re afraid they’ll be a candidate for redundancy.” Addressing councillors at yesterday’s meeting Mr Harriss said: “I think we’ve taken on some of the messages from the previous survey and done something about it by improving communications and quality of management.”