- Conference
- 2007 Local Government Service Group Conference
- Date
- 23 February 2007
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference notes the continuing trend of local authorities to sign up with a private company to provide a Strategic Service Partnership. This can occur even when an authority is functioning well and for no other reason than an attempt to bring ‘new’ jobs to an area.
The Local Government White Paper and Local Government Bill continues the Government policy to encourage local authorities to consider these partnerships.
UNISON has provided advice and support to its branches when they are faced with Strategic Service Partnerships. However, we need to continue to campaign against these proposals at national, regional and local level through the Positively Public Campaign and the Stand Up for Public Services Campaign.
In particular, Conference instructs the Service Group Executive to:
1)Continue to lobby for public/public partnerships as the alternative
2)To publicise problems and failures of existing partnerships, including the costs of returning services in-house
3)To expose the myth that these partnerships can bring more sustainable jobs when in reality they simply circulate jobs around the country.
4)Support lawful industrial action by branches called in accordance with UNISON’s industrial action procedure aimed at stopping the transfer of services to SSP’s and protecting the jobs pay and working conditions of UNISON members.