This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Protection of council workers jobs
06/02/2003
Scottish councils will be obliged to protect the terms
and conditions of workers transferring under local
authority contracts, it was announced today.
It will apply to all local authorities in Scotland
and will not affect the recent protocol agreed between the
Executive and trades unions which will continue to cover
all future PPP projects.
The Scottish Parliament agreed today that provision for
this is included in the Local Government Bill being
considered by the UK Parliament.
Minister for Finance and Public Services Andy Kerr
said:
"This is welcome news for local authority workforces.
They will be able to have more confidence that if they are
asked to transfer with a contract, they won't lose out. The
new provisions will allow us to take measures to ensure
that their terms and conditions of service will be
protected.
"We share the same priority as councils and their
workforces - the improved delivery of public services - and
we are working in partnership to achieve that aim. If we
are to deliver those improvements, we need to work with the
people at the frontline. Their support and hard work is
crucial.
In a joint Executive-STUC protocol published on November
11, the Executive ensured protection of terms and
conditions of workers transferring to the private sector as
part of PPP projects supported by the Executive.
Provisions included in the Local Government Bill
published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will
give Ministers power to direct local authorities in England
and Wales to protect the terms and conditions, including
the pension rights, of workers transferred from local
authorities to a third party.
The Scottish Parliament today agreed that amendments in
the Local Government Bill to give similar powers in respect
of Scottish local authorities to Scottish Ministers.
Employment and pensions issues are reserved under the
Scotland Act 1998, which means that such provisions fall to
be considered in the UK Parliament.