Housing vote dispute over threat to jobs
A PLEDGE has been made that housing staff will not lose their jobs if Neath and Port Talbot council tenants vote to hand over their homes to a new landlord.
Housing chiefs say the opposite is true, and jobs will be at risk if the transfer does not go ahead.
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Housing vote dispute over threat to jobs
It's all to do with the Assembly's Welsh Housing Quality Standard, with which all local authorities will have to comply.
Neath Port Talbot says it will need to spend £152 million bringing its homes up to scratch, but only has £40 million.
Now a ballot of tenants is under way to decide if the authority's entire stock of more than 9,000 houses, bungalows and flats should be transferred to a new social landlord, NPT Homes.
If the ballot goes against transfer, the council says it will have to find more money through further rent increases — with the first of them coming as early as June this year — with jobs also at risk.
A council spokeswoman said: "A story on the Socialist Worker website on a march relating to the council's budget and cuts to services implies that if the proposed housing transfer goes ahead, housing staff would lose their jobs.
"This is not true. Unions, housing staff and the shadow board of NPT Homes worked closely with the council to develop a staff pledge.
"This pledge will, if the transfer goes ahead, form part of the legally binding transfer agreement between the council and NPT Homes."
The agreement commits the new landlord to honour staff pay and conditions of service for two years after the transfer.
There is still fierce opposition to the move, which campaigners have attacked as privatisation that would, despite the council's assurances, lead to job losses.
However, Neath Port Talbot insists the opposite is true.
"If the transfer does not take place, the council believes, as things stand, it will be unable to maintain the existing level of service, and this will inevitably place a number of jobs at risk," added the spokeswoman.
paul.lewis@swwmedia.co.uk
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by Kenny, Neath
Saturday, March 27 2010, 8:23PM
“In regards to 27/03/10 "Pledge on jobs safety"
How can this be the case?
NPT Homes is a new organisation, every job will by law have to be advertised which will result in several hundred appicants. Is he (Peter Rees)saying the jobs are in the bag for current council workers? sounds like he is!
Everyone needs to have a fair chance of applying and getiing selected for interview, and during the interviews, he suggests that all the current housing workers are going to walk in these new jobs.
Of course people are going to lose their jobs, they not going to carry the council's dead wood along for the ride!”
by Tony, Neath
Wednesday, March 17 2010, 2:00PM
“It's to late it's all over the Yes vote won by 1000 votes so I'm told let have figures not percenterges”
by Tony, Neath
Wednesday, March 17 2010, 1:59PM
“It's to late it's all over the Yes vote won by 1000 votes so I'm told let have figures not percenterges”
by JJ, Neath
Thursday, March 11 2010, 10:48PM
“Only a few more days before the voting ends and the future of council homes in Neath and Port Talbot is decided.
In South Cambridgeshire last summer tenants won a massive NO vote to block a big effort by the stock transfer brigade.
The YES campaign had millions to spend while as usual the vote NO campaign just had some silver but again it was the NO vote that blocked the way and scored a magnificent victory to keep council house s in council control.
Well done tenants there,but can we do it here?”
by Hank, PT
Thursday, March 11 2010, 4:35PM
“Why would tenants want to leave the security of a council tenancy to be transferred to a completely untried and unproven private housing organisation called NPT Homes Ltd.
At the moment it doesn't have any assets at all but if transfer is approved it will suddenly acquire public assets worth about a billion pounds! Nice work if you can get it if you then become a highly paid housing official but tenants lose their secure tenancies and also lose a democratic say because their homes are lost to public control.”
by Paul Lynch, Swansea
Thursday, March 11 2010, 10:58AM
“Paul Lloyd is perfectly correct, Swansea council used the same scare tactics - yet not one council worker lost their job as a result of the NO vote here. Don't be bullied, don't be blackmailed, vote NO!”
by Linda, Neath
Thursday, March 11 2010, 9:45AM
“I am with you Sam - stuck solid - now only a few million to go :)”
by Sam, neath
Thursday, March 11 2010, 8:08AM
“The truth is jobs are at risk in the Neath Port Talbot Council.Officially the Council has announced 750 jobs are to go but UNISON has done the arithmetic and believes around 1500 could be axed unless a fightback occurs.
The Council and this shadow company NPT Homes has given a guarantee about job security but the 'TUPE agreement' only lasts for two years and after that the attack on jobs, working conditions, pensions and hours of work can begin.
Any Socialist Worker reader will know that when workers unite to defend their livelihoods and pay the re is a much greater chance of success!
As canned Heat once sang 'Let's stick together!'”
by Simon, Sandfields
Thursday, March 11 2010, 6:28AM
“I found this quote while looking through an old copy of the 2005 Labour Party manifesto.
'By 2010 we will ensure that all social tenants benefit from a decent, warm home with modern facilities'
Labour Party Manifesto April 2005.
I am holding New Labour here in our towns to this commitment!”
by Al, Skewen
Wednesday, March 10 2010, 11:36PM
“The NPT Council is still huffing and puffing to scare tenants into supporting its stock transfer scheme.
It has spent millions of our public money on stock transfer....paying teams of consultants, making expensive dvds, hiring expensive hotels and employing teams of canvassers to go out to convince tenants they would be better off with a private limited company.
Tenants across the country have successfully fought off these stock transfer champs and shame on our council for pushing this free market agenda right here in Neath and Port Talbot.
The millions spent on this plan could have been better spent renovating council homes or even building some new ones.
Housing Associations across the country are in financial difficulty because of the collapse of the financial and property markets and the recession is rolling on cutting jobs and futures.
We need good quality affordable housing now more than ever yet New Labour intends to transfer a billion pounds worth of public housing to a private limited company.
New Labour ? What a shocker!
Did the roof fall in on the Labour Party?”