Public sector union Unison is threatening strike action if a local council decides to privatise its IT services.

Inverclyde Council is meeting tomorrow to discuss whether it should privatise its IT department, a decision which would affect 28 staff employees. A Council committee will meet to discuss a report from the director of public services recommending privatisation.

Roger Taggart, service conditions officer at Unison, said the report failed to prove the case for outsourcing the department. He said: "This report was written on the back of a postage stamp and provides no case at all for out-sourcing the service. Privatisation presents no financial benefit, no guarantee that the quality of service will improve and no evidence that the skill-base in the private sector is any better than what we have already in-house.

There has been no proper assessment of risks and no development of a sound business case. The report basically argues that ICT services might improve sooner if provided by a private company although provides no evidence to support this."

Unison will make representations to the committee to stop the outsourcing, if this fails it will recommend a strike ballot. ®

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