Restructuring events
European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
Somerset County Council has announced that it is to reduce staff numbers by up to 1500 over the next 3 years. The move folllows the announcement that it has a £75m budget deficit. The Council has cut most of its building projects, library services will be reduced and two-thirds of council-owned farms are to be sold off.
Unison Trade Union has critisised the cuts saying that they would "pile misery onto the recession-hit region". Unison General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said: 'Job losses on this scale will hit the people of Somerset hard, scaling back vital community services and hitting spending power. Cutting most new building projects will only make the dole queues longer. The jobs market is tough enough. People will struggle to find work elsewhere.'
Update: 22nd October 2010
The council has confirmed that so far this year nearly 200 people have taken voluntary redundancy. By April an additional 500 staff are to leave, but the redundancy pay they receive will be worse than those that have already taken voluntary redundancy. The remaining 800 posts will go over the next three years.
Eurofound (2010), Somerset County Council, Internal restructuring in United Kingdom, factsheet number 70891, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/70891.