DERRY’S councillors will not be subject to a new policy which could see council staff undergoing testing for drugs and alcohol, it has emerged.
The news comes after Derry City and Strabane District Council approved a new alcohol and drugs policy which, part of which includes the provision for staff to undergo testing if they are suspected of being under the influence of drink or drugs at work.
It also includes guidance for managers to support an employee and where required, ‘to appropriately manage unsatisfactory conduct, performance or attendance where alcohol and drugs is a contributing factor’.
This includes the opportunity for Alcohol and Drugs Testing which can be conducted if a manager is suspicious that an employee has ‘reported for duty under the influence of alcohol or drugs’.
However, the new policy will not cover any of the 40 elected representatives who currently sit on the council.
A spokesperson for the council told the Derry News that it is a workplace drug and alcohol policy for employees therefore it does not apply to elected members.
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