Motion no: 29
Congress recognises the ongoing damage caused by privatisation across the public sector. Privatised services have consistently resulted in poorer pay, terms, and conditions for workers, while failing to deliver the quality and efficiency promised. We have seen this in numerous outsourced contracts where staff are forced to accept inferior employment conditions, including reduced wages, less job security, and weaker pension provisions.
In particular, we note the DWP G4S campaign pursued by PCS and GMB, which highlights the exploitation and poor treatment of workers contracted to provide essential public services. This case is emblematic of the broader issues within privatised public sector workforces.
In response to these challenges, this conference calls for:
- Comprehensive In-Housing Campaigns: We demand that public services be brought back in-house, where workers can be directly employed by the public sector with fair pay and improved working conditions. In-housing will ensure accountability, better service delivery, and a workforce that is treated with dignity.
Furthermore, it is essential for unions to strengthen their collaborative efforts to tackle the exploitative practices of large private contractors. This conference calls for:
- Increased Union Cooperation: We urge all unions to work together, sharing intelligence and coordinating strategies to organise and bargain more effectively with major outsourcing companies, such as G4S, MITIE, OCS, Atalian Servest, and others. By pooling resources and knowledge, we can increase our leverage and secure stronger protections and fair treatment for workers across the sector.
Strong, determined and proactive action can build the momentum needed to bring outsourced services back under public control and create a stronger, fairer future for all public sector workers.
