Deal to protect Neath Port Talbot council workers should homes transfer take place
A DEAL has been struck to protect the jobs of hundreds of council workers if tenants vote to transfer their homes to a new landlord next year.
Around 400 staff are expected to switch employer if the ballot supports the controversial hand-over to NPT Homes. Now a 'staff pledge' has been agreed between the council and the NPT Homes shadow board that will protect their terms, conditions and rights.
Council leader Ali Thomas said: "Transfer is about more than bricks and mortar. It is about building stronger communities and safeguarding jobs, now and in the future.
"In the staff pledge, the council along with the shadow board clearly sets out the promise to safeguard the job security of employees who may transfer to NPT Homes and providing new employees with the same pay and conditions of service as existing staff for at least two years."
Neath Port Talbot Council wants to hand over all 9,000-plus of its houses and flats to the new social landlord. It argues this is the only way the homes can be brought up to the Welsh Housing Quality Standard.
Neath Port Talbot says it is £112 million short of the £152 million needed to achieve this, but NPT Homes would be able to tap into funding sources the council cannot access. It also claims some 150 new jobs will be created, and pledges to ensure as many as possible go to local people.
But there is ferocious opposition from certain quarters — including some councillors — with campaigners claiming it represents privatisation and will lead to spiralling rents.
The staff pledge has been developed with the Independent Staff Advisor and members of the staff panel, which represents the housing workforce of Neath Port Talbot Council. Members of GMB, UCATT, Unison and Unite unions have also been heavily involved.
Joint convener Christian Thomas said the unions were committed to safeguarding the interests of members if tenants vote in favour of transfer.
The formal offer to tenants, which will form the basis of next year's ballot, was due to have been approved at a meeting last week. That meeting was deferred and will instead take place tomorrow in Neath Civic Centre, starting at 1.30pm.
3 Comments
by Huw, Neath
Monday, November 30 2009, 1:40PM
“There three sets of consultants /so called Tenant Advisers at work in Neath and Port Talbot trying to persuade staff and tenants of the benefits of stock transfer.
How much of the 5.2 million pot of public money is going into their coffers?
One set of consultants is working on the staff of NPT Council to try to win their approval.
It should be noted that this role is what these consultants specialise in. They exist to make money out of persuading the public sector to agree to privatisation.It follows that the interests of staff and tenants are going to be different from the consultants who will receive handsome sums of public money from their stock transfer efforts
.Of course we don't know the level of commission or bonuses these consultants are on.We do know that the public money they have to spend seems unlimited!
Chris and Linda have rightly pointed out the major drawback to staff if ttransfer goes ahead...the likelihood that in 2 short years conditions of work and job security will worsen.
Let us remember that some SENIOR council housing chiefs will do well out of stock transfer. They can look forward to big pay rises and bonuses.
The evidence is there to see from previous stock transfer schemes across the country . Where privatisation occurs senior staff do very well with masssive pay awards.Take for example ,John Belcher the boss of Anchor Housing, a registered social landlord. Until he resigned last month he was on £391000 a year .His pay came from the rents paid by tenants. Unfortunately for them while Belcher was making a fortune his housing organisation had plunged into the red!
And that takes me to a final; point ....many of these new Housing Associations are in financial difficulties because they have been mismanaged or because of the financial crisis of the past two years.
But stock transfer is not a done deal.The crucial tenants' vote has been postponed twice and is now likely to take place in the spring.
The housing staff should mobilise to oppose stock transfer !”
by Chris, Neath
Saturday, November 28 2009, 9:51AM
“I agree with Linda. What you will no doubt find after two years are cut backs in staff, new contracts with lower wages.
Shortly after the two years it's time to start increasing the rents.
The only reason that the council wants this transfer is too go ahead is a quick way too make money to cover their bad management over the last few years.
The tenants are going to loose out badly if this transfer does go ahead.”
by Linda Ware, Neath
Friday, November 27 2009, 9:59PM
“Only 2 years - what happens then? not much to tell the bank manager when you want a mortgage - I only have 2 years work guaranteed.”