Glasgow IT workers win job protection

Members vote in favour of package which keeps employment status after outsourcing battle that saw membership increase by 40%

Photograph of the Glasgow branch banner

Glasgow council IT workers have voted to accept a deal to protect their jobs, terms and conditions and current employment status in any new set-up with CGI, the global company seeking to take over the running of the city’s IT service.

Workers who are currently council employees will be seconded and thus remain council employees.

Workers who are currently council-linked employees in the present joint partnership venture set-up will remain council-linked employees in any new arrangement with CGI.

The previous guarantees of no compulsory redundancies and no relocation from Glasgow remain for all workers, including the small number of our members directly employed by the current joint partnership venture with no linkage to the council.

UNISON members took one day of strike action in November followed by selective action from December.

The Glasgow local government branch has welcomed the deal as “a positive outcome for the 230 members” while noting that UNISON membership has increased by 40% in the past six months.

“Against a background of key senior council officers pushing for CGI to take over the running of the city’s IT service and a political leadership unwilling to rule it out,” said a statement from the branch. “The UNISON members should be congratulated on what they have achieved.”