Labour councillors have called on Brighton and Hove City Council to talk to union leaders to resolve the dispute with housing maintenance workers who went on strike for five days last week.
The staff previously worked for the contractor Mears to maintain and repair council houses and flats but the work was brought “in house” by the council in the spring.
Their union said that some members stood to lose out as a result of the move.
Usually workers are protected by rules known as “TUPE” which were designed to protect their terms and conditions.
Labour said: “The Brighton and Hove Labour group is concerned about the current dispute between housing maintenance workers and the city council over the TUPE transfer from Mears.
“We support the basic right to trade union recognition and the principle of no detriment when applied to TUPE transfer of workers.
“We are calling on the administration to meet with the union and urgently resolve the dispute without placing workers at detriment and so as to avoid our residents being affected.
“We urge them to continue to negotiate with the GMB and not bypass the union in discussions, to negotiate with trade unions around appropriate emergency cover during industrial action and to involve ACAS (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) if necessary to resolve the dispute.
“Labour strongly supports the rights of workers and the GMB to collective bargaining.
“We also support equal pay and are calling for a solution which avoids inequity in pay scales across the council notwithstanding proportionate and reasonable pay protection of affected staff.
“We will support striking workers and want to see a speedy resolution to this dispute.
“We are proud that it was a Labour administration that brought the housing maintenance service in house, following input from tenants and residents, to provide a better service with greater social value.
“We also recognise the extensive work done by officers in recent months consulting staff to facilitate the transfer in house.
“We now call on the administration to get negotiating with the unions and find a resolution to the dispute for the good of our workers and our residents.”
Cynical opportunism again from Labour here. You are “proud” that this was brought in house so why are you not equally “proud” of this problem that you’ve caused? It’s a direct consequence of this in-housing but now you want other people to clear up your mess…
Yes, it is the same situation as in 2013 when Labour tried to blame the Greens for the bin strike when in fact it was a matter of remedying the inequalities of which Labour had been a part since 2000. Put simply, cityclean workers were being paid for not working 2.5 hours per week. That meant all Council workers – at every level – would have been able to claim that in back pay over many years. Since then, anything to do with the GMB has felt like getting aboard the Tardis and travelling to the Seventies. I should not be surprised if Mark Turner wears flared trousers and sports a cravat.