Plan to transfer Bristol City Council staff to Bristol Waste dropped

A plan to transfer 122 Bristol council employees to the authority's waste management firm has been abandoned.

Opponents said the move could impact workers' terms and conditions, such as sick leave and pension contributions.

Facilities management staff across six departments had been earmarked for permanent transfer.

City bosses dropped the proposals earlier this week, despite insisting workers were protected under employment regulations.

Unions and opposition councillors said the proposal did not have the support of the employees' affected, and was being used as a way of "shoring-up" Bristol Waste financially, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It would have followed the transfer of 200 cleaners and security staff to the waste firm in 2021- a move the council said could save £2m over five years.

But city council HR business partner James Brereton, told councillors via email on Monday that chief executive Mike Jackson, deputy mayor Craig Cheney and other heads of department had scrapped the plan.

Mr Brereton said: "We consider an internal approach to service delivery would offer greater benefits to the organisation, colleagues and service users."

Human resources spokesman, councillor Richard Eddy (Cons) said no business case for the further transfers had been produced by Bristol Waste.

He suggested the idea had been intended to channel additional council funding to the company.

Mr Eddy said: "It seems to many of us critics of this off-loading of staff that the political imperative behind the controversial proposal was more driven by the need to financially shore-up the council's fully owned company Bristol Waste than a proper employer's duty-of-care to our staff."

A Bristol City Council spokesperson said: "Following consideration of the exploratory work undertaken earlier this year, it's been agreed not to pursue any further transfer of facilities management services and staff to Bristol Waste Company (BWC) at this time.

"All members of staff potentially affected by this decision have been informed and all relevant parties kept updated."

The employees involved work in culture and creative industries, intermediate care, asset strategy, children's homes, Redfield Lodge care home, and early intervention and targeted services.

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