500,000 Public Sector Workers Culled

kabayiri

amcluesent wrote: »

I see London boroughs are going to announce operational mergers. The Condems are clueless that the austerity will create a few giant backoffice outsourcers and service provides. Local democratic accountability will go! Your local political representative will just be told by 'Steve' in Mumai "computer says no"

This has been happening for years. Vertex had a 10 year contract to manage Westminster council functions. I don't recall any people demonstrating outside the offices about political accountability then.

There will definitely be more of this sort of thing though, and a few notable screw ups along the way (IBM in the Southwest spring to mind?..).

But, if as a council bean counter you are told to achieve aggressive cost saving targets, what do you do? You listen to any and all palatable solutions....

chewmylegoff

kabayiri wrote: »

This has been happening for years. Vertex had a 10 year contract to manage Westminster council functions. I don't recall any people demonstrating outside the offices about political accountability then.

There will definitely be more of this sort of thing though, and a few notable screw ups along the way (IBM in the Southwest spring to mind?..).

But, if as a council bean counter you are told to achieve aggressive cost saving targets, what do you do? You listen to any and all palatable solutions....

Capita seem to provide all of lambeth's "back office" services. Certainly do all the council tax administration. Should think it's pretty much the same everywhere.

barbarawright

If you ring Westminster Council, your call will be answered by someone near Inverness. Try getting any local knowledge out of them...

kabayiri

barbarawright wrote: »

If you ring Westminster Council, your call will be answered by someone near Inverness. Try getting any local knowledge out of them...

The harsh truth is likely to be that the Inverness employee is cheaper than a Westminster employee.

...and no doubt some will argue the Mumbai employee undercuts both of the above.

It's about cost, not service quality.

Rochdale_Pioneers

kabayiri wrote: »

It's about cost, not service quality.

What does service have to do with it? Its not a public service we're talking about here, its a lamentable and pointless drain on the taxpayer like all public sector jobs.

Happily we have all seen the light. Soon we will slash the cost of public "services" *spit* by outsourcing the lot to private contractors who will make fat profits. Extracting fat profits from something already under-resourced is always the best way of getting the cost down.

Old_Slaphead

kabayiri wrote: »

The harsh truth is likely to be that the Inverness employee is cheaper than a Westminster employee.

...and no doubt some will argue the Mumbai employee undercuts both of the above.

It's about cost, not service quality.

Isn't that what the public wants?

kabayiri

Old_Slaphead wrote: »

Isn't that what the public wants?

Didn't The Jam famously sing "The Public gets what the Public wants".

(or am I misquoting).

RP is right in one way. Certain businesses will get quite wealthy out of all the upcoming change. I don't say it with relish. It just seems a fact of modern life to me.

StevieJ

bendix wrote: »

My job does not cost the taxpayer a single penny. As such it's usefulness or efficacy is of no concern to taxpayers.

As a substantial taxpayer, on the other hand, the usefulness of public sector jobs is very much my concern.

I think the same was said about the financial sector not so long ago

blueboy43

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

You did - the advert you linked to was for a midwife.

you lawyers, with your pesky attention to details.

cashbackproblems

amcluesent wrote: »

I see London boroughs are going to announce operational mergers. The Condems are clueless that the austerity will create a few giant backoffice outsourcers and service provides. Local democratic accountability will go! Your local political representative will just be told by 'Steve' in Mumai "computer says no"

Its bad for the UK as we lose these jobs, but tbh i work in a business where all our back office (and even some key jobs) have been outsourced to India and we have benefited alot. These jobs low skilled people do here but over there you get the top end of graduates/professionals taking them on and they are harder working, more efficient and dont complain like Uk workers.

I dont really understand why the goverment has been so harsh on these jobs as its effectively putting money back in the economy i.e. ppl spending as opposed to paying them benefits/housing etc.

It seems like all these cuts have had no real consideration for the future and how it will get the UK growing again