Huge 95% vote for strike against privatisation - action set to begin in April 

Unite the union can reveal today (21 March) that around 320 tradespersons employed by Dundee City Council have voted in favour of strike action in a dispute over plans to outsource services to private contractors. 

By a huge 95 per cent joiners, plumbers, electricians, labourers and scaffolders have backed strike action. The dispute is centred on Dundee City Council’s plans to outsource public works to private contractors. 

All-out strike action is set to begin on 4 April for three weeks until 28 April, and then it will be followed by rounds of daily action until 23 June (see notes to editor).

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This huge vote in favour of strike action demonstrates that Unite’s members are not going to accept Dundee City Council’s plans to outsource trades services. There is overwhelming evidence that privatisation of public services only makes things worse for workers and for the public. The council now needs to drop this ruinous proposal.

“Unite will stand up for our members in this fight to protect decent pay, jobs and conditions, and ultimately, a good public service for the people of Dundee.” 

Unite members are also taking council management to task over call-out payments and the telematics tracking policy involving council vehicles. The trade union claims that the tracking system is being used by council management to monitor employee movements, rather than its stated purpose of improving fleet management and utilising under-used vehicles. 

Unite industrial officer George Ramsay added: “The plans by Dundee City Council are as bewildering as they are counterproductive. A good public service is being provided to the people of Dundee, and any profits are reinvested or given to the council to aid the wider budget. The plans to outsource will only profit private contractors. Unite will not allow these plans to go unopposed and we will fight them every step of the way.”

ENDS

Notes to editor:

Discontinuous strike action schedule is as follows:

  • commencing at 08:00 hours on 4th April 2023 and continuing each day up to 28th April 2023 when the action will conclude at 16:30 hours;
  • commencing at 08:30 hours and concluding at 16:30 hours on 1st May 2023;
  • commencing at 08:30 hours and concluding at 16:30 hours on 5th May 2023;
  • commencing at 08:30 hours and concluding at 16:30 hours on 8th May 2023;
  • commencing at 08:30 hours and concluding at 16:30 hours on 12th May 2023;
  • commencing at 08:30 hours and concluding at 16:30 hours on 15th May 2023;
  • commencing at 08:30 hours and concluding at 16:30 hours on 19th May 2023;
  • commencing at 08:30 hours and concluding at 16:30 hours on 22nd May 2023;
  • commencing at 08:30 hours and concluding at 16:30 hours on 26th May 2023;
  • commencing at 08:30 hours and concluding at 16:30 hours on 29th May 2023;
  • commencing at 08:30 hours and concluding at 16:30 hours on 2nd June 2023;
  • commencing at 08:30 hours and concluding at 16:30 hours on 5th June 2023;
  • commencing at 08:30 hours and concluding at 16:30 hours on 9th June 2023;
  • commencing at 08:30 hours and concluding at 16:30 hours on 12th June 2023;
  • commencing at 08:30 hours and concluding at 16:30 hours on 16th June 2023;
  • commencing at 08:30 hours and concluding at 16:30 hours on 19th June 2023;
  • commencing at 08:30 hours and concluding at 16:30 hours on 23rd June 2023