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Even cleaners under scrutiny
Reporter: Janice Barker
Date online: 21 April 2009
All Oldham’s front-line council services — from cleaning to road sweeping — are being reviewed.
But trades union fears that this could be the first stage of privatisation have been denied by Council Leader Howard Sykes and Chief Executive Charlie Parker.
The services range from catering and cleaning, to street sweeping, refuse collection, and care services.
The review is being undertaken as the council is making more than 200 people redundant and working with consultants KPMG to save millions of pounds.
Councillor Sykes said: “The trades unions know that this is soft market testing, to see what (price) someone else would do this for, and one of the things our efficiency board is looking at is cleaning services as the first in the series.
“But I am happy to state on the record that I am not interested in cheap cleaning services that attack people’s terms and conditions, which mean you don’t necessarily get a better service.
“It might mean cleaning at different times. Everything needs looking at, including established patterns of work.
“We are seeing whether we are getting value for money.”
Mr Parker said work was still to be completed and a report will go to the efficiency board which meets every two weeks, when unions will be updated.
One of the first decisions, he added, was to transfer printing services to a private company which was significantly cheaper than printing in-house.
Giovanna Holt, regional officer for the general union GMB, said: “We raised this question right at the beginning when Mr Parker was appointed and we were assured by Mr Parker and and Councillor Sykes that front-line services were safe.
“We will be asking questions at Wednesday’s regular budget meeting with managers.”
Unison branch secretary Ann Mitchell said: “This is at very early stages. They are looking at front- line services and terms, and the the possibility of contracting out catering and cleaning is one.”
Comments
another waste of money! KPMG are not cheap. it was reported that their fee's where £2 million just to try and save on debts of £18million!
i can suggest one cost cutting option. whoever came up with that idea! they obviously arent doing a good job for their wages!
Why not put Charlie Parker and his £100K plus underlings under this type of scrutiny and see if we can get their jobs done any cheaper and more efficient, To look at cleaners and other front line, low paid staff to take the brunt of cuts and job losses is ridiculous. If the elected Councillors are looking for efficiency cuts then may I suggest that they half the salary of these over paid and overhyped execs and if they don’t like it then they can always leave for higher pay in the private sector
Unity Partnership that the joke at the moment, well not if you are trying to sort out your council tax, customer service something they don’t seem to understand. But they tick the right boxes with the council or put the right price in for the lucrative contract. Let face it all sykes and is cronies want to do is feed on the taxpayer gravy bowl.
Surely privatising the management would be the best solution.
Get rid of parker and his cronies and get someone in for half the money.
“..union fears that this could be the first stage of privatisation were denied by Council Feeder Howard Sykes & Chief Executive Charlie Parker.”
“One of the first decisions, was to transfer printing services to a private company which was significantly cheaper than printing in-house.”
This is not privatisation then?
“We are seeing whether we are getting value for money.” WE KNOW DAMN WELL WE AREN'T! Translator wanted by OMBC must be tri-lingual, lies to weasel to English.
I have heard this all before "No there will be no redunancies" - 6 months later I got made redundant.
"..could be the first stage of privatisation have been denied.." Yeah right, we belive you! NOT! Kindly stop trying to lie yourselves out of the hole you have dug! Stand up and be counted!
You will not get my vote, now or in the future!
Have Your Say
Morecambe and Wise, The Two Ronnies .... Sykes and Parker, comedy double acts just aint what they used to be.
By The Borg @ 21/04/2009 14:02:42