WEST Dunbartonshire Council’s SNP administration has reversed their planned £50,000 cut to trade union convener posts – just a week after defending it.

Labour opposition councillors along with West Dunbartonshire Community Party member Jim Bollan forced an emergency council meeting last Monday in hopes of a U-turn over the cut of 3.4 paid posts to two.

West Dunbartonshire’s SNP councillors have repeatedly cited the public and staff response to their budget consultation as proof of a majority backing for the reduction in taxpayer-funded conveners.

But it prompted angry reaction from the unions who viewed it as a prelude to redundancies. They argued, along with Labour, that the local SNP position was at odds with their first minister, Nicola Sturgeon.

Monday’s SNP change of heart went out in a press release just before Ms Sturgeon spoke at the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) conference on Monday and a new joint agreement was made between the Scottish Government and STUC over facility time.

The SNP administration said: “Since the budget decision was taken to consult with trade unions on the proposal to reduce the number of FTE convener hours, we have received a mixture of supportive and challenging correspondence from staff and the public, and had discussions with a number of trade union members and officials.

“It is clear that there has been some misunderstanding of this decision on both sides of the question, and in order to move forward, we are announcing now our intention to reverse this decision.

“The council leader has asked the chief executive to prepare a report for the May corporate services committee and the next meeting of council to allow members to make the necessary amendments to the budget.”

It is a change in position from just days earlier when Cllr McColl told the council meeting there was “misleading information from senior trade union reps”.

After they passed the budget in March, he said union conveners should “get their heads out of the sand” and reflect on their “unconstructive, combative manner” of doing business.

Union officials welcomed the U-turn and vowed to push further to reverse all SNP cuts.

Charlie McDonald, with the Unite union, said: “The joint trade unions are happy that the administration has listened to the workforce and the community and has came to its senses on protecting facilities time within WDC. Collective bargaining should always be supported by any administration.

“But let me be clear, austerity cannot be acceptable in WDC or anywhere. The joint trade unions now challenge the administration to reverse all cuts within the council. The people of WDC want it as does the workforce.”

The Scottish Government and STUC announced on Monday new guidance in opposition to the Trade Union Act 2017 enacted in Westminster requiring public sector employers to publish information relating to facility time.