CITY council leader, Frank McAveety, has accused one of the unions representing striking school janitors of playing politics with people’s jobs.

Council arm’s length organisation Cordia wants to shake up the service and save money by cutting 30 posts through natural wastage or by staff moving to other departments. There would be no compulsory redundancies.

The reform would mean pre-five schools, primaries and additional support for learning centres would no longer have a dedicated janitor.

Instead 30 staff would be promoted to co-ordinator roles to manage 30 clusters around the city.

That could mean that at a cluster of five schools where there are presently five janitors there may be four janitors with one of the posts a promoted role.

But in January last year, the plan parked a dispute over terms and conditions which is still on-going.

About 220 janitors are involved with around 100 represented by Unison and around 70 understood to be taking regular strike action.

Mr McAveety said: “The leaders of Unison are playing politics with people’s jobs.

“They don’t want to negotiate around a new deal but want to conduct megaphone negotiations instead of representing their members’ real interests.”

He defended the council’s stance and accused the union of keeping the dispute going.

Mr McAveety, said:”Frankly, the union’s demands in this dispute have been met time and again - then the union leaders move the goalposts.

“The offer to janitors guarantees every janitor employed under the new deal a wage rise of nearly £1000. That will take the annual top line pay to around £22,500.”

The council leader said that pay would increase even more for those who get promoted posts.

He added: “Those janitors who get promoted posts will get a rise of £4000 taking their top line to almost £24,500.

“The new deal reduces hours from 41.5 to 40 so the deal is more money for less work and guaranteed employment.

“In the days of cuts and financial pressures, surely this is a very reasonable offer.

“If Unison’s idea of maintaining one janitor for one school stands, there will be no promoted posts for janitors to apply for and no new wage structure with increased wages. Fact.”

Unison has said it is concerned about the plan to operate a cluster of janitors saying it would leave schools without a janitor at certain times of day.

And it has pointed out staff have lost money as a result of the dispute to maintain terms and conditions.

But a council insider claimed striking janitors have been getting strike pay from the union for each day they withdraw their labour.

Earlier this week the Evening Times reported the janitors said the on-going strike action has cost staff a total of around £477,000 in wages.

Around 100 janitors are currently embroiled in industrial action over pay.

The figures come as the janitors are said to be “more determined than ever” ahead of another two weeks of strike action starting today.

The janitors continued the strike for another two weeks in the ongoing dispute.