It's Business As Usual But Where Are The Workers?
If Tameside Labour controlled council are to believed, the one thing that is not in short supply in this crumbling industrial wasteland, is VISION! But given this vision, they were totally unprepared for the predicted collapse of their partner 'Carillion', the construction giant that became insolvent on Monday.
Despite the collapse of Carillion, which runs a number of services for Tameside Council, such as school meals, project design and construction, events and facilities management, the council say that it is "business as usual" and that Carillion is continuing to "operate as normal", after going into liquidation earlier this week.
Following the collapse of the "too big to fail" construction company, Tameside Council sent out emails to employees of Carillion working on council contracts advising them that they should continue to report for work and would be paid at the end of the month. Who is going to pick up the bill for this, isn't clear, because the Government have said they wouldn't be bailing out Carillion. Nor is it clear, what the situation will be for Carillion workers after the end of the month. However, the Prime Minister, Theresa May, has said that the government will continue to pay the wages of the Carillion employees providing public services.
In 2011, Tameside Council employees working for facilities management, were transferred to Carillion under a TUPE arrangement whether they liked it or not. At the time, they were told by Cllr Dave Sweeton, that this new "Service Delivery Model" would secure jobs and services and cut costs. Yet, only this week, Cllr John Bell, the Conservative leader of the opposition told a local newspaper that there had never been any proper oversight or scrutiny to hold the council to account and that there was no way of ensuring the public were getting value for money. Cllr Bell said:
"The whole thing has been managed unprofessionally - they are like a bunch of Arthur Daley's if you ask me, they really are."
As previously reported, contractors who reported to work on Monday, were told by security staff that they were being denied access to the new council office complex still under construction on Wellington Road, Ashton-under-Lyne. However, a council spokesman told the local press that "work would continue on site." When NV visited the site today (Thursday), workers were conspicuous by their absence. A lone security guard, refused to answer questions and scarpered off like a sewer rat up a drain pipe.
Cllr John Bell feels that Tameside Council in their relationship with Carillion, put far too many eggs in one basket and that the chickens have now come home to roost. He said:
"Tameside's relationship with Carillion is greater than with any other authority in Greater Manchester."
One suspects that few people will be duped by Tameside Council's reassurances of "business as usual" and that worse is yet to come as this fiasco unravels.
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