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Unite call for support following MoD ‘shock’ of job loss proposal

Unite the Union is calling on the Gibraltar community as a whole to support any future action it may deem necessary following the proposed job cuts by the MoD in Gibraltar earlier this week. Unite’s MOD/ISP Branch has also accepted the Chief Minister’s invitation to work with Unite the Union in support of MOD Locally Entered Civilian workforce.

“We call on the community to support any actions deemed necessary at any point in time during our consultation process,” it said in a statement yesterday.

This followed a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the new operating model and man power changes provided by MOD in Gibraltar after which Unite’s MOD/ISP Branch condemned the reduction of the workforce saying it believed this would have an  impact on the community at large and at the same time create further economic uncertainty.

After scrutinising the details of the document in question the branch said in the statement that it was “shocked” by the proposed job losses and the drastic scale down in certain departments.

“In our view this equates to a mass reduction disguised as a voluntary redundancy package. The figures provided do not reflect the recent rundown of the MOD taking into account post 2007 transfers i.e. Generating Station, Defence Fire and Rescue Service, Marine Services and laundry,” argued the statement which insisted the union was currently faced with 78 to 85 job losses “with no security that there will not be compulsory redundancies”.

Further to these cuts, it added, “we have the possibility of the transfer of water utilities, the separate ongoing review for the Gibraltar Defence Police and we are awaiting the final outcome of the finance review and MT workshop (Phoenix II project)”.  It warned that this would result in a further massive shrinkage of the MOD foot print in Gibraltar.

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