Local Government Service Group Conference 19-20 June 2011

They are not your services to sell, UNISON tells politicians

Kevin Duguid

19 June: Local public services are best provided by locally accountable local authorities and public bodies. This was reaffirmed by delegates to Local Government Conference who committed the union to supporting branches to mount robust campaigns against privatisation and outsourcing.

It also agreed a range of strategies to maximise protection for outsourced workers and to produce research on the benefits for staff and service users of taking privatised services back in-house.

Kevin Duguid, City of Edinburgh, described Edinburgh's experience where they have been fighting proposals that could see almost 4,000 staff and their services transferred out to the private sector.

He called on the SGE to support branches by all means possible to stop privatisation in its tracks and to give branches tools and resources, including up to date dossiers on failed projects and simple myth busting "that tell the public what it really means.

"That it means public money flowing into private coffers never to be seen again. That it means local jobs being lost. That it means local economies being damaged."

He slammed the ruling LibDem minority on the council, propped up by the SNP who have ignored their electoral promises to keep services in-house and is now refusing to carry out a public consultation.

"The message must be, whether you're a Labour, Libdem or SNP councillor, or an MSP or the First Minister of Scotland, it's not good enough to ignore the people who elected you.

“And they are not your services to sell," said Kevin.

In the absence of any public consultation by the council, Edinburgh UNISON is running its own one on 27 June at 6pm in the Augustine Church, George IV bridge, Edinburgh. See www.unison-edinburgh.org.uk for details including a video, leaflets and an information pack.

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