Workers demand no privatisation in Glasgow
Matt Dobson reports
Over 150 council staff, Unison members who work in Information and Communication Technology provision, and supporters protested outside Glasgow City Council on Monday 19th September. The council chief executive’s plan is to privatise the service to a Canadian multinational, CGI, which has been implicated in the disaster around Obamacare.
Over 350 workers face a threat to their jobs, wages and conditions. Unison is urging lobbying of the Labour councillors and the opposition SNP. Both of whom have so far failed to state whether they will oppose the proposal.
Brian Smith, Glasgow City Unison Branch Secretary and a Socialist Party Scotland member, was quoted in the press: “Unison believes that this proposal is wrong for a number of reasons, including higher long-term costs, loss of control of a key council function, the future impact for social care, schools, home care, financial payments, council tax collection/benefits and other vital council services, and the threat to hundreds of workers’ jobs, wages and conditions. The best way to ensure quality council services is to have them run in-house under democratic control. “Public money should not be used to increase the profits of global private companies.”
The workers affected have more than 5,000 years’ combined council service. Unison say that many handed back their council long-service awards at the protest on Monday.
Unison convenor Tony Santilli spoke at the rally saying: “The chief executive is accusing the union of scaremongering over these plans but members are fully aware of what this means in terms of an attack. If these proposals are not rejected we will look at a ballot for strike action.
