Council workers "paid while they sleep"

Published on Thursday 30 October 2008 08:50

A SCAM in which council workers cheat on their working hours to get paid while they are still in bed is being investigated by city officials.

Staff are said to have been getting colleagues to clock them in and out of work at the council's new headquarters, so they can get paid while they enjoy a lie-in or sneak off early to the pub.

A total of 1700 council workers have been warned they face disciplinary action if they are caught cheating the system.

Spot checks have been ordered on staff at the East Market Street HQ and the City Chambers by Jim Inch, the council's director of corporate services.

Staff have been taking advantage of a flexi-time working system, which means their bosses don't necessarily raise an eye-brow when they turn up late or leave early.

Council bosses are understood to have been alerted to the problem by whistleblowing staff.

An e-mail, sent on Friday by Mr Inch, warns staff they will face disciplinary action if they are caught during the spot checks being carried out over the next few weeks.

In the e-mail, he says: "It has been drawn to my attention that the flexi-time system is being abused by individuals clocking in and out inappropriately.

"This appears to have been happening for some time and the practice must stop now.

"The flexi-time system was introduced to give colleagues some control over their working day. It has been regarded as a 'benefit' by most staff, but the practices of a small minority put this at risk."

The e-mail was sent to the 1700 corporate services staff, who carry out many of the supporting functions of the council, such as legal services and human resources.

They are based at the council's headquarters on East Market Street, with the remainder working at the City Chambers.

Council chiefs today said the e-mail was an opportunity to remind staff of the need to use the council's flexi-time system correctly.

But opposition politicians called for the culprits to be tracked down and disciplined.

The city's Tory leader, Councillor Iain Whyte, said: "I hope the council is addressing the issue and any staff caught abusing the flexi-time benefits are disciplined, which would serve as a warning to others not to try and abuse it."

Unison officials today said they had not been made aware of any problems with the staff flexi-time system.

The city's Labour leader, Councillor Andrew Burns, said: "The flexi-time process needs to be policed properly and any abuses of the arrangements are helping nobody, because there needs to be trust in the system."