Press Release
Greenwich libraries staff in five day strike over 'disgusting' privatisation plans
26 April 2012
WHEN:27, 28, 30 April, 1 May and 11 May 2012, 8am-8pm
WHERE:Across 13 libraries in Greenwich (see notes)
Close to 100 Unite members working across 13 Greenwich libraries will take part in five days of industrial action beginning tomorrow (Friday 27 April). The action is over Greenwich council's proposal to privatise library services by transferring it out to Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL).
The council wants to transfer all its library services to GLL, where staff are already on poorer pay and conditions and do not receive the London Living Wage of £8.30 an hour. GLL has said it intends to "harmonise" terms and conditions in the near future which has led our members to believe it will lead to a race to the bottom - harmonising to the poorer conditions.
Unite recently conducted a public consultation exercise, by setting up stalls outside libraries, and asked the public to vote on whether they wanted the service transferred out. This got overwhelming support and resulted in over 1,600 signed postcards returned saying 'no' to the transfer.
Unite regional officer, Onay Kasab, said: “We have the full support of the public on this campaign as GLL has no experience running libraries. Despite promising to do so, the council has failed to carry out its own survey. We believe this was due to the huge opposition the council knows exists regarding the transfer.
“During Unite's public consultation many fears were voiced by the public and library users. Not only do many believe that services will suffer, there are also great fears that GLL will close the smaller libraries and that the Mobile Library service will be scrapped - a service essential to those unable to travel.
“Disgust was also expressed at the introduction of charges for services such as use of computers - a service thousands of people on lower incomes have come to rely on.
“This transfer will lead to a race to the bottom and our members will not stand by and allow this to happen. We believe their pay and conditions are better protected with the council than with GLL and we will fight to keep it that way.”
Notes:
- Unite is Britain and Ireland's largest trade union with 1.5 million members working across all sectors of the economy. The general secretary is Len McCluskey.
Unite has 92 members out of 102 staff, spread across the various location below:
- Abbeywood, Eynsham Drive, Abbeywood; Blackheath, St Johns Wood Road, SE3; Claude Ramsey Thamesmead; Coldharbour William, Barefoot Drive, SE9; Charlton, Charlton House, Charlton Village, SE7; Eltham, Eltham High Street, SE9; Ferrier, Telemann Square, SE3; East Greenwich, Woolwich Road, SE10; Mobile - based at Plumstead library; New Eltham, Southward Road, SE9; Plumstead, High Street, Plumstead, SE18; Slade, Plumstead Common, SE18; Woolwich, Calderwood Street, SE18
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