Trade unions representing angry workers at Norwich City Council are warning that the council's new arms length company called Norwich City Services Ltd (NCSL) is already facing serious problems before it's even started. 

Workers' representatives are seeking support from the city’s councillors, to ensure that the commitments made over the last two years by Council leaders are honoured. The unions have been in discussions since 2018 with Norwich City Council (NCC) regarding the formation of the new arm’s length company NCSL. The company has been set up to bring services, including ground maintenance and street cleaning which had been outsourced to Norse, back in-house. 

But management is now reneging on its commitments to set out a ‘road map’ for the harmonisation of NCSL workers' terms and conditions with directly employed council staff. The company's offer on pay, sickness and holidays falls well short of what is required to make progress on harmonisation, plus new managers are being recruited on superior terms and conditions compared to existing staff.  As a result, calls for an industrial action ballot are growing.

Unite regional officer, Adam Oakes said: “Despite clear assurances from leaders of the city council about levelling pay and conditions, those commitments are now not being honoured by the board of Norwich City Services Ltd. 

"Management failures have caused pay talks to stall and there is a real possibility of an industrial action ballot. Norwich City councillors must now intervene to get the board of NCSL back on track to stop this problem escalating. We are just weeks away from Norwich City Services taking over the contracts on the 1 April 2021."

 

Jonathan Dunning, Norfolk County UNISON Branch Secretary said: “Many of our members are on statutory minimum entitlement for annual leave, Statutory Sick Pay and pay rates far below their city council colleagues. They have delivered services for Norwich City Council for years and all they want is equality and fairness with their colleagues. After being told that was the Council’s aim too, they are furious that the council now to seem be reneging on this commitment.”

ENDS

Contact: Ciaran Naidoo on 07768 931 315