'Efficient Government' must not be cost-cutting exercise

The launch of the 'Efficient Government' initiative by Scottish Ministers will be closely monitored by UNISON in Scotland.

Service Groups have been alerted to the implications and branches will need to ensure that locally they are involved in any decisions arising from this review.

"Ministers assure us that there are no job reduction targets," said Scottish Secretary Matt Smith. "It will be our task to ensure that as the review proceeds it does not become a savings exercise. We do support efficiency but too often in the past the term has been used to mask cuts and service reductions".

The initiative covers all public services in Scotland. It is recognised that much has already been achieved in Scotland through Best Value, NHS Reforms and the Modernising Government Initiative.

It is also the case that admin costs as a proportion of overall spending compares favourably in Scotland with the United Kingdom as a whole.

The Efficient Government Initiative aims to identify efficiencies through new ways of working. Examples include Scotland's new Procurement System that has brought together the previously fragmented public sector purchasing arrangements with significant cost savings.

There is to be a strong emphasis on public bodies sharing "back office" systems, using technology and standard systems to avoid duplication and waste.

Public bodies are to be encouraged to co-operate, ending the last vestiges of the wasteful competitive market structures that were a feature of the Conservative years.

However there are many potential threats to our members within the review. We need more detail as to how it is to be undertaken, measured, and assessed. The financial targets are very broad and have not so far been built up from individual targets for each public body.

Instead the approach is to encourage innovation and sharing of ideas. An Efficient Government Fund of £60million is to be established, offering public bodies an opportunity over two years to bid to the fund.

Recent statements from the First Minister about the need to rebalance the public sector and the private sector in Scotland in favour of the private sector are a cause for concern and will be pursued with him when the trade unions in Scotland meet him later in the Autumn.

"UNISON recognises that public sector organisations need to be aware of opportunities to be more efficient and work effectively. That is why we welcome the Finance Minister's recognition that the public sector in Scotland has been taking this agenda forward for some time", said Matt.

"We have argued that savings which are made need to address issues of low pay and of recruitment and retention of public service workers."

UNISON and the STUC have already engaged Ministers and Senior Civil Servants in discussion about the potential impact of the review and have received assurances that there will be full consultation at all levels.

The detail of that is still be established and meetings are to be held soon to see how this can be taken forward.

There has been a major expansion of expenditure within Scotland's public services. For many years UNISON has argued about under-funding and therefore welcomes the increased investment which has been made and have pointed out to areas where efficiencies could also be made, such as in the abolition of the costly system of Capital Funding through PFI/PPP schemes.

"Devolution should provide the opportunity for Scotland to have better public services and not to follow the UK agenda. In many areas today we have had successes in pursuing that policy but much remains to be done.

"Our approach to the 'Efficient Government' process will be to ensure that we genuinely improve the public services and the conditions for those who work in them and do not see this as another cost cutting exercise with a potential for outsourcing and privatisation", said Matt.

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