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In the City of Culture - the poor get sacked

Donald Hass | 05.08.2003 15:26 | Liverpool

AS well as the most thriving industry for locals being The modern sweatshop - 'Call centres' now we see more and more workers losing their jobs. As if council repairs are not needed

HUNDREDS of workers in Liverpool were today being balloted for strike action over the redundancy of dozens of their colleagues.

Employees at Interserve, who repair houses for Liverpool council, say they were told they would be losing their jobs when taxis delivered redundancy notices to their homes.

Some of the 63 affected staff were unaware of the cuts until they arrived for work yesterday.

Others received two letters, just over 12 hours apart, one informing them their jobs were safe, and the second saying they were being considered for compulsory redundancy.

Sid Fenlon, convenor for the Transport and General Workers Union, said: "Morale among the remaining workforce is at rock bottom and we are now balloting members for strike action.

"None of this makes any sense. We cannot meet the demands of the council and yet workers are being made redundant."

Donald Hass

Comments

Hide the following 6 comments

It does make sense...

05.08.2003 15:38

Perhaps they were doing a crap job and they want to replace them with people who know what they are doing.

Capitalist Running Dog


sack the Capitalists!

05.08.2003 15:49


It's more likely that Interserve bosses want to line their pockets with more
cash.
By sacking current workers they can re-employ lower paid wageslaves on worse
contracts.
sack Interserve and set up a workers co-op!

GreenLantern


Not necesarily...

05.08.2003 16:19

I don't see why that is more likely. How do you know they weren't just crap?

Capitalist Running Dog


present evidence or withdraw

06.08.2003 10:24

Dear Capitalist Running Dog

To accuse experienced and professional building workers of gross incompetence is a very serious matter. I presume you have evidence to back up your allegation. If not I advise you to withdraw it immediately.

I appreciate you may be used to a somewhat 'knockabout' style of commentary on this newswire. However, you must appreciate that in this case you are discussing people's jobs and livelihoods, and the source of income for families and communities. It is not a joke.

I look forward to your apology.


 http://www.tuc.org.uk

trade unionist


What the T&G union sez...

06.08.2003 12:21

THE OFFICIAL T&G PRESS RELEASE ON T'MATTER:

The spectre of taxis running round Liverpool to sack working people was revisited last week as building services firm Interserve sent round compulsory redundancy notices to 38 workers by private courier.

The compulsory sackings were added to by 25 voluntary redundancies as the company, which is contracted to Liverpool City Council, effectively cut its workforce by 10 per cent.

Transport and General Workers Union local and national officials reacted with fury to the sackings and the lack of notice. A mass meeting is planned for tomorrow (Thursday 7th August) at 8.00am at the Everton Park Sports Centre in Great Homer Street.

T&G national officials have been called in to put pressure on the company and the council.

Bob Blackman, T&G national secretary for construction, said this morning the company's actions were simply "unacceptable, unnecessary and unlawful."

"The way this has been handled beggars belief," said Mr Blackman.

"The insensitivity of telling people, many of whom have been employed in work for the council for over 20 years, that they're sacked is bad enough, to do it by private courier on a Friday afternoon adds insult to injury. There has been no consultation. These sackings came out of the blue."

The T&G highlighted the crisis in housing maintenance work for Liverpool City Council in April this year.

Then the union's national organiser Jack Dromey said that both the council and Interserve should sort out the "unholy mess" and he warned the company of the consequences of compulsory redundancies.

A summit meeting to resolve the situation was agreed but has yet to take place. The latest development whereby sackings have been made may now lead to demands for official industrial action.

"Companies have legal obligations to consult with the trade unions when they are making significant job cuts," added Mr. Blackman. "The loss of 63 jobs is a cut of about ten per cent. By any measure that's a sizeable reduction and we should have been consulted.

"But another key issue is what is happening to housing maintenance work for the council. That's why we believe the council should take a role."

***
Mil's two cents:

If these workers are being sacked 'cos they are "crap" at their job, stinking running dog, then how come their guvnors have waited 20 years to sack 'em?

Cutting costs and boosting the company's profits is the reason for these sackings, like it always is.

Mil Boris


Anarchist bites dog

06.08.2003 15:30


It's nothing to do with workers being crap you mange infested mut.
it's to do with creeping casualization and in the building trade etc' we know where that
leads. Fatcat pocket lining and dead workers. (just ask Simons' family in Shoreham)



Grenlantern.