UNISON the public service union - PFI


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			Private Finance Initiative (PFI)

	PFI home The case against PFI Branch education PFI in local government PFI in the NHS Documents Useful links		Welcome Welcome to the UNISON PFI and PPP pages. In these pages you will find Information about PFI and PPP Information about why UNISON opposes PFI Specialist pages containing information and news about PFI in the health service and in local government Education resources to use at branch and workplace level to inform members about the dangers of PFI and what they can do about them You can navigate through this site and access the material in it by following the links What are PPP and PFI? Public Private Partnerships (PPP) is the umbrella name given to a range of initiatives which involve the private sector in the operation of public services. The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) is the most frequently used initiative. The key difference between PFI and conventional ways of providing public services is that the public does not own the asset. The authority makes an annual payment to the private company who provides the building and associated services, rather like a mortgage. A typical PFI project will be owned by a company set up specially to run the scheme. These companies are usually a consortia including a building firm, a bank and a facilities management company. Whilst PFI projects can be structured in different ways, there are usually four key elements: Design, Finance, Build and Operate. The Positively Public Campaign Positively Public is UNISON's campaign to keep our public services public. Years of privatisation and underfunding have left many areas of public provision in a poor state. We welcome better funding of these vital services. But we don't believe that more privatisation is the answer. All our evidence and experience shows that once services are run for private profit, the quality of care is reduced and the public service ethos is replaced by a hard-nosed profit motive. It is about who makes the decisions about caring for your elderly relatives or your children's education or housing the homeless-someone with their heart in the right place, or someone with an eye on the balance sheet. Positively Public campaign Bargaining Support Group UNISON can also provide information and guidance to branches involved in campaigning against PFI projects through the Bargaining Support Group at Mabledon Place. The Bargaining Support Group collects information on companies, their public sector contracts, and other operations. This can be used by branches for campaigning against a particular company, a specific project, or a bargaining issue arising from a PFI transfer. Bargaining Support Group can provide your branch with reports on Private Companies holding contracts in the public sector, including information on finances, contracts and ownership Agreements with private companies signed by UNISON Company Updates - A monthly bulletin providing the latest information and developments on companies in which UNISON has an interest, alongside much more information that your branch may find useful in a PFI campaign. Bargaining Support Group		CONTACT DETAILS • The UNISON contact for PFI issues is Margie Jaffe. UNISON PFI 1 Mabledon Place London WC1H 9AJ Email: m.jaffe@unison.co.uk PFI documents PFI: Against the Public Interest The report analyses the failings of the government's private finance initiative and public private partnerships, highlighting high profile contracts which have failed and PFI companies, such as Ballast which went into receivership. PFI: Against the Public Interest Public risk for private gain? The public audit implications of risk transfer and private financeA new UNISON report shows that the government has failed to evaluate its own claim that extra costs of PFI are justified, because risks are transferred to the private sector. There are now more than 500 PFI deals worth £36bn, but the the true cost of these deals to the taxpayer is still unknown and private companies are reaping the benefits of this oversight, at the expense of the public purse. (NB: This is a 1.2MB download) Public risk for private gain? UNISON comments on new Treasury guidance for PFI April 2004UNISON welcomes the Treasury’s review of PFI, in particular, the recognition that value for money should not be at the expense of the workforce and that soft services do not have to be included in PFI projects. We would like to see these policies incorporated into the methodology and translated into clear obligations on departments and contracting authorities. UNISON comments on new Treasury guidance for PFI Building Schools for the Future : A concise branch guide (17/03/2006) This concise advice should be read with the APSE report for UNISON:'Building Schools for the Future: A Branch Handbook' Stock number 2484) It describes key stages in the BSF process and highlights UNISON's concerns. Building Schools for the Future : A Concise Branch Guide Building Schools for the Future :A Branch Handbook (17/03/2006) This guide goes through the key stages in the BSF process and provides negotiating and technical advice for branches. Building Schools for the Future : A Branch Handbook All documents >

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