'Termination' notes sent to 6,000

The council is sending termination notices to thousands of staff

About 6,000 workers on a Scottish council are to receive letters which pave the way for them to be sacked and rehired on new contracts.

The termination notices are being sent out by Dumfries and Galloway Council.

They will only be enforced if attempts to reach a negotiated pay agreement with the employees concerned fail.

Staff are set to be balloted soon on whether to accept the "single status" salary proposals designed to tackle historic wage inequalities.

There have been numerous bids to agree the pay package over several years.

A structure has now been put together which workers will be asked to vote on soon.

It will only be after the outcome of the imminent ballot is known that we will know which approach is to be followed Council statement

In the meantime, the council is taking steps to impose the deal if it is rejected at ballot.

Its employees would have their current contracts terminated on 1 October and then be rehired on the new pay scheme.

A council statement said: "The joint trade unions understand and accept that this is necessary.

"At the same time, the council and trade unions are striving to reach a collective agreement through ballots of the trade union members.

"It will only be after the outcome of the imminent ballot is known that we will know which approach is to be followed."

The authority has stressed that its "preferred solution" remains a collective agreement.

However, it is issuing the termination letters in order to give staff the required statutory notice if it needs to impose the deal.