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Swansea IT workers lose outsourcing fight

Gapgemini selected for Swansea IT gig

IT staff in Swansea Council have lost their fight to remain employed by the local authority after councillors approved plans to transfer workers to IT outfit Capgemini.

Up to 70 per cent of the 135 staff who work in Swansea's IT department will be shunted to Capgemini as part of an ambitious service@swansea egovernment scheme. The rest will remain employed by the council.

The ten-year £155m project could save the council up to £72m while delivering a whole range of whizzy services, according to council officials.

The contract is expected to be signed in June with staff transferred by the end of July.

In a statement council official Mary Jones said: "Our ICT staff will join one of the world's leading IT companies, where they will be able to develop their skills and careers.

"We have heard their concerns and have agreed with Capgemini a range of measures to ensure protection of their terms and conditions for the period of the 10-year contract.

"These measures include the right not to have to work outside Swansea area. We have also been able to respond to their particular concerns regarding pensions, and employees will be able to remain in the local government pension scheme."

No one from Swansea's IT department was available for comment at the time of writing. Last week, though, they said they obtained an internal document which proved that Capgemini would be selected to run the scheme and that their desire to remain employed in the public sector would be ignored.

In a statement IT workers said: "The discovery of the full document is the culmination of a catalogue of deceit by Council management which proves conclusively that this whole process has been no more than a sham."

Last autumn more than 100 IT worker went on strike for eight weeks amid concerns that the council's egovernment outsourcing plan would lead to job losses. ®

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