IT staff to vote on strike over £100m outsourcing deal

IT staff at Bradford Metropolitan District Council will vote on strike action in the New Year in protest at plans to transfer them to the private sector as part of a £100m IT outsourcing deal.

The council has shortlisted Atos KPMG, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and a joint bid from IBM and ITNet for the 10-year deal to overhaul the authority's IT infrastructure. A preferred bidder for the project, known as Bradford-i, is due to be selected by March 2004, with the contract expected to start in July.

But the council's 135 IT staff, who are set be transferred to the winning bidder under traditional TUPE arrangements, are concerned about pension and employment conditions and want secondment instead.

Public sector union Unison told silicon.com that the council and the shortlisted suppliers have until Christmas Eve to come up with a compromise or staff will be balloted over strike action on 5 January.

Gurjit Singh, chair of the Bradford branch of Unison, said: "Secondment is the preferred option but if we don't get anything by Wednesday we are all set up for a strike vote."

Vanda Rogers, human resources director for Bradford council, said in a statement: "Positive discussions with the trades unions are continuing. The original trade union-proposed resolution was to immediately vote to ballot for industrial action. This isn’t now the case which demonstrates the goodwill to avoid conflict that exists on both sides."