Taxpayers charged for union activities

Group Political Editor

Wednesday 5 October 2011

TAXPAYERS are forking out £40,000 salaries to Scottish Government staff who spend all their time on trade union duties.

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Brian Currie Political Editor

Nine employees were paid a total of £344,718 in 2009-10 and eight received £320,532 last year.

Tory party spokesman Alex Johnstone said it was “utterly ludicrous” they were allowed to devote all their time to union work.

He said: “If they are employed by the Scottish Government then that is who they should be doing work for. ”The salaries were uncovered in answer to a Freedom of Information request.The information emerged the day after Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude announced a consultation in England on limiting the time civil servants can spend on trade union work.PCS Scottish secretary Lynn Henderson accused the Tory politicians of a “cheap attack” on their own civil servants.Meanwhile, it was revealed that civil servants were paid enhanced redundancy packages worth £49 million last year by the Scottish Government.Among them were golden good byes to mandarins who retired early, two of whom received deals worth more than £250,000, according to official figures.A further 10 received between £200,000 and £250,000 and 18 were given payments of between £150,000 and £200,000. Just over 1000 officials shared in the £49m bonanza. Labour’s finance spokesman Richard Baker said: “The public will find it hard to square these massive payoffs and bonuses with the huge cuts.”

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