Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
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Could do with some sensible advice here for a change.
Basically our department is a trading unit arm of Worcestershire County Council, which means we have to cover our expenses but not make a profit. We support Schools in terms of IT, training etc, because we dont make a profit we are competitive with private companies offering these services and 90 odd % of county schools are signed up to an SLA with us.
The council is looking to move us in the central council building and integrate us into existing teams as one big support unit, part of which will still offer the same service to schools. However its clear that the main objective of this is to eventually over the next year or two commission us off to private companies in money saving schemes.
Because of this indication the management team of our department have come up with a plan, with a backer, to form our own private company and will be asking all current staff to resign their posts and be remployed under the new private company, current job roles guaranteed etc.
I have a couple of issues with this, firstly if I resign that menas I throw away all my terms and conditions and my 12 year redundancy package I have built up. Secondly I dont trust the management dept, I deffo think there is a bit of self interest here in terms of saving jobs for themselves as they are under threat, and also although the dept is meant to be run by a management team of 6 or so senior management its really run by the coordinator and another member of snr management as they had some sort of fling a while ago and she protects him no matter what he does.
There is also the issue that im not convinced if we have to turn in a profit that we will remain competitve for long and could be in a situation of being made redundant and yep we would have thrown our redundancy away. However we would at least in the short term and possibly long term be guaranteed jobs in this dodgy job climate.
The other option is to not move to the private company, and stick with the council, it would then be up to the council to either find me another role in the council or make me redundant, large payout etc...
I really have no idea what to do, im tempted to say stick it and stay with the council and at worst get my payoff, but then i could struggle to get another job?
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baza31
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Registered: 19th Apr 03
Location: yorkshire
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Fuck leaving the council . Don't bail whatever you do
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Gaz
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Registered: 24th Aug 03
Location: Widnes, Cheshire
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Won't this whole plan be against your T's and C's though...?
I'm pretty sure "Poaching" staff is illegal in this senario and someone high up in the new make shift company will get fucked over...?
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Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
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Im not convinced its right either but apparently its all being talked amongst everyone up top in the council too so it must be above board.
The unions have also been told
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baza31
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Registered: 19th Apr 03
Location: yorkshire
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They will find you work elsewhere , you have 12 yr and alot will be in their two years so you won't be first to go. It's all ifs and buts , you have your pension too to think about . If you leave council you will struggle to get back in , plus if you did there would be massive changes to your contract
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Gaz
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Registered: 24th Aug 03
Location: Widnes, Cheshire
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I'm honestly not sure about that Steve, I know of people who have left our company in the private sector and created consultancy based jobs coming back into our business to work but to create a private company from the public sector and take a whole dept with it just doesn't ring true.
However, back to your facts - 12 years redundancy pay to carry on with the same shit you are doing now - THIS is why high management want you to bugger off their pay roll. Sit tight and let the fuckers give you redundancy if they want this whole scenario to happen, you'll walk into this "new" company with ease if you are already doing the job.
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baza31
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Registered: 19th Apr 03
Location: yorkshire
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quote:
Originally posted by Steve
Im not convinced its right either but apparently its all being talked amongst everyone up top in the council too so it must be above board.
The unions have also been told
It's gross misconduct for a start and no way will unions back it. Are you all on section 188s ? , what if said company sets up and then someone higher up decides to stop it? You will lose your new job immediately . A manager can't just set up, poach staff and hand his company work . Ps all council work has to go to tender and be on a government approved list . If someone internal blags their company through and someone tells local paper all hell will let loose
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Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
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quote:
Originally posted by Gaz
I'm honestly not sure about that Steve, I know of people who have left our company in the private sector and created consultancy based jobs coming back into our business to work but to create a private company from the public sector and take a whole dept with it just doesn't ring true.
I dont follow this sentence, can you rephrase?
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Dan
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Registered: 22nd Apr 02
Location: Gorleston on Sea, Norfolk
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A pretty similar thing has just happened to my mother in law, she works for the council as a care worker.
They recently decided that she had to resign and change to another company they had set up.
I urged her to seek legal advice, but she didn't!
Ill be interested to see what happens here, as I believe shes been well and truly mugged off!
Adult GiftsClick here to vist us
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Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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Getting rid of people in order of company service isn't legal as far as i'm aware baza.
It's why i'm 99.9% certain I won't be made redundant in the near future.
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taylorboosh
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Registered: 3rd Apr 07
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Wait for your "bit"
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taylorboosh
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Registered: 3rd Apr 07
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Just to link onto an above post, my mrs works for sunderland council who want to privatise her branch, she will get the same pay and package apparently
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Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
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Via Tupe? I did ask about that but apparently due to the way they are doing it they cant perform a Tupe.
Tupe is only valid for 18months anyway I think so youre in the same boat of being got rid of for nothing even if you were tuped
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Gaz
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Registered: 24th Aug 03
Location: Widnes, Cheshire
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quote:
Originally posted by Steve
quote:
Originally posted by Gaz
I'm honestly not sure about that Steve, I know of people who have left our company in the private sector and created consultancy based jobs coming back into our business to work but to create a private company from the public sector and take a whole dept with it just doesn't ring true.
I dont follow this sentence, can you rephrase?
sorry buddy yes, I was typing and talking at the same time.
I work in a private sector company (doing public sector work coincidently) - we had an IT disaster recovery team get made redundant to which one of them set up a consultancy based company and employed the other 2 people. They then were paid from our company to run our DR.
My second point was to basically mirror what baza31 put at 20:33.
So in summery, I know it probably can be done what your big bosses are suggesting but i'm not sure its legal with it being a council.
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VrsTurbo
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Registered: 8th Jun 10
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I would say as long as the director of the company hasn't / been part of the council team. Poaching isn't an issue.
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Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
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You mean the backer? he isnt anything to do with the council no
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Eck
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Registered: 17th Apr 06
Location: Lundin Links, Fife
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quote:
Originally posted by Ben G
Getting rid of people in order of company service isn't legal as far as i'm aware baza.
It's why i'm 99.9% certain I won't be made redundant in the near future.
They'll just word it differently. They have to disclose the criteria but don't have to show you how well you marked.
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VrsTurbo
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Registered: 8th Jun 10
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quote:
Originally posted by Steve
You mean the backer? he isnt anything to do with the council no
Yea no issues with the poaching then.
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pow
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Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
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Ffs sit tight. I'm know what's going on with this whole refocus of local councils as I have a lot of friends and family doing various jobs from top to bottom. They are spending a few years trying to get some wastage before they outsource EVERYTHING. You'll either keep a job or get a lovely redundancy package if you keep your wits about you.
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pow
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Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
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You won't struggle to get another job, schools are relying more and more on technology due to government demands so someone with 12 years school experience is very employable
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pow
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Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
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Plus as we are going to spend the next 12years swapping governments blaming the last one for this ones failures it won't make as much progress as they want it to.
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Steve
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Registered: 30th Mar 02
Location: Worcestershire Drives: Defender
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Some good opinions here most of you shariong what my dad thinks too, my main concern is staying with the council and ending up redundant then not finding a job. Ok I get a payout but iv still got bills and debts to pay
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taylorboosh
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Registered: 3rd Apr 07
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You will get a job and im sure redundancy would pay your debts till you find one
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Tommy
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Registered: 24th Aug 00
Location: Essex, Colchester
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I would stick with the council. Don't assume your going to be made redundant, it could be that everyone jumps ship and your more needed than ever, plus you don't really know how this private company is going to fare. I would also take into account if you stick with the council and do end up being made redundant you would then be a prime candidate to then join the private company.
That's if I've understood correctly.
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Jules S
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Registered: 24th Dec 03
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quote:
Originally posted by Tommy
I would stick with the council. Don't assume your going to be made redundant, it could be that everyone jumps ship and your more needed than ever, plus you don't really know how this private company is going to fare. I would also take into account if you stick with the council and do end up being made redundant you would then be a prime candidate to then join the private company.
That's if I've understood correctly.
Pretty much that.
Stay put for the goodbye cheque.
In my LEA pretty much all of the secondary schools are going academy status, and they are hoovering up all of the primary feeders using their own IT departments. Our education depts ICT team is now down from dozens of staff to less than a handfull.
I wouldn't be worried about getting another job tbh...unless you have numerous warnings about being on CS all day 
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