Unite members at Newham Council’s ICT department are holding a strike ballot over possible outsourcing, reports Aidan White

Newham Council's Dockside offices — Photo: wikipedia used under Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike license 2.0

A key part of Newham Council’s money-saving strategy to avoid possible bankruptcy is to use online technology to deliver services, but the plan could be derailed by a possible strike this autumn.

The workers at the heart of the plan to streamline delivery of services have condemned the Council’s “catastrophic” privatisation scheme which they say could put resident’s data at risk.

Members of the Unite union in Newham Council’s Information and communication technology (ICT) department are holding a strike ballot. They warn the Council is planning to outsource the department – putting jobs at risk and endangering residents’ data.

But the Council has hit back and says that outsourcing ICT work has not yet been agreed. A Newham Council spokesperson told Newham Voices: “The proposal mentioned is not the one currently under consideration. Instead, we are exploring a hybrid model for the service, which is still under discussion.

“No final decisions have been made, and there is significant work ahead before any firm conclusions are reached.”

Nevertheless, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “That a Labour Council should seek to privatise Council workers beggars’ belief. Outsourcing programmes follow the same pattern time and time again – broken promises of cost savings while services deteriorate, and staff pay and conditions are subject to endless cuts.

“While most councils have begun to see sense, Newham has decided to embark on this catastrophic plan. Our members will fight tooth and nail to oppose such madness and have the full backing of their union in this dispute.”

The union is angry that Newham has not been filling vacancies in the department since 2012 and claims that other councils, which have recognised that outsourcing is flawed, have begun returning ICT departments in-house.

As well as fears over jobs, the union has identified significant flaws, such as sensitive data of Newham residents being made available to foreign companies, and fewer protections and oversights.

However, the Council rejects the complaint and says data protection will be a priority.

“We want to assure residents that keeping their data safe and secure is of paramount importance to us,” said the spokesperson. “Should any changes to the service proceed, all necessary safeguarding measures would be put in place.”

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