Successful strikes by IT workers at Glasgow City Council in December and January have halted the attempt to privatise £400 million worth of services.
The privatisation deal was effectively stopped after the strikes by Unison members established that they would be employed directly by Glasgow City Council rather than by the private contract holder, Canadian CGI (Consultants to Governments and Industries).
CGI was due to begin a seven-year contract to fully run the services from this March. After Unison won the fight to maintain direct employment, SERCO, another global operator that had shared the operation of the services on a 50/50 basis with the council, has now challenged the legality of the deal.
Addressing a meeting of Glasgow Trade Union Council, the shop steward representing the workers explained how the city’s decision to go down the full privatisation route fitted in with the planned three-year roll-out of £135 million worth of cuts to council services.
In recognition of the consequences of IT privatisation for Glasgow, a protest was held outside the Glasgow City Council budget meeting on Thursday 16 February. Further action is now planned.
• A longer version of this article is on the web at Glasgow privatisation plans in turmoil