John Swinney: Job losses inevitable, but rules out compulsory NHS redundancies
Trade unions say they are worried John Swinney’s programme for government will result in public sector job losses
John Swinney admits job losses are inevitable on the back of his overhaul of public services - but has ruled out any compulsory redundancies in the NHS.
The First Minister also said there should be “fewer” councils in Scotland in the future.
Trade unions say they worry thousands of jobs could be lost on the back of Mr Swinney’s programme for government statement yesterday.
Mr Swinney announced sweeping changes to services, including reducing the number of mainland NHS boards down to just two and merging a number of public bodies. It is hoped this will go some way to plugging a £5 billion black hole in the public purse.
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast, Mr Swinney said: “I’ve set out before that it’s likely over the next few years there will be a reduction in public sector employment, because we need to change the way we are delivering services so they are sustainable.
“We will work closely with trade unions on these reforms and the fundamental objective we share is making sure patient care is improved and that we have sustainable public services that meet the needs of the public.”
The First Minister refused to give a number on how many redundancies will be made, but said: “I’ll maintain the no compulsory redundancy commitment.
“An essential part of these reforms is to provide assurances to staff on how they will be dealt with.”
He added: “This is about putting patients at the centre of the design of the NHS.
“One point that concerns me is that despite the efforts of health boards, accountability is an obstacle to making sure we get treatment in place in all parts of the country.
“As First Minister I need to make sure that wherever people live, they have equal access to the health service, and unfortunately administrative arrangements at health boards put obstacles in the way of that.”
Mr Swinney also said he thinks there should be fewer local authorities in the future, but again would not put a number on how many there will be.
Currently there are 32 councils in Scotland, but in his programme for government yesterday Mr Swinney said he will spend the next three months drawing up plans to overhaul this.
He said: “I think at a strategic level there should be fewer.
“But as I said to parliament yesterday, I want to engage with local government with proposals and I want to respect that debate.”
When asked if this was about centralising power out of local communities, Mr Swinney said: “It is the absolute complete opposite of that.”
During his interview, Mr Swinney said action to tackle violence against women and girls formed such a key part of his programme for government after being “deeply affected” by the number of women who died over the summer.
He said: “Over the summer I was confronted by a pattern that deeply affected me.
“I was preparing for a meeting with Danielle Macdonald and on my way to that meeting I looked at the BBC website.
“The top story was the murder of Stacy Hunter in Renfrewshire. The second story was the murder of Vikki Solomon in East Craigs. The third story was the tragic case of Lisa Ross in Greece, and the fourth was about an alleged rape in Oban.
“I looked at this and thought, ‘this is truly appalling’.”
Mr Swinney added: “I have been significantly affected by this violence over the summer and I want to use my role as First Minister to do something about it.”
The Scottish Conservatives say they have “little faith” in Mr Swinney’s plans, as the SNP has a “dire track record” on public services.
Murdo Fraser MSP, the party’s public service reform spokesman, said: “John Swinney’s plans to deliver the reforms Scotland’s public sector desperately needs already appear to be unravelling.
“Confirming that there will be no compulsory redundancies and failing to spell out any detail on where the axe will fall is exactly why the Scottish Conservatives have little faith in the SNP First Minister delivering on his plans.
“They have spent their two decades in power bowing to every demand from those in the public sector and there is nothing to suggest they have the stomach for the fight that will inevitably occur with them.
“Their track record is dire when it comes to public sector reform. If they don’t start getting serious about matching their rhetoric with delivery, then Scotland’s public services will continue to decline, and taxpayers will never get value for money.”
Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton added: “John Swinney has not explained how these plans are any different to the SNP’s previous centralisation projects.
“Rural communities have been seriously harmed by those schemes.
“It is also not at all clear how exactly these plans would save money or help frontline services that are struggling right now, including social care.
“Communities should be in charge of decisions that directly affect them, especially when their needs are different to those of bigger cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh.”
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