Stormont's robots: Trade union calls on finance minister to ensure cleaner staff cuts don’t happen on Sinn Fein’s watch
NIPSA has called on Stormont’s finance minister to ensure imminent cuts to cleaning staff don’t happen on Sinn Fein’s watch – saying that workers are being “discarded” by changes which will see voluntary redundancies and hours cut as robots are introduced on civil service sites.
John O’Dowd won’t say whether any savings have been made from plans to cut outsourced staff in Stormont departments – but the DUP say any changes must not simply boost the profits of private contractors.
Low-paid workers at 162 sites are affected by the proposals from Aramark – a company contracted via the Department of Finance to provide cleaning services. Robots were introduced to the Northern Ireland Assembly some time ago, but there are now plans to use them across civil service sites.
Trade union NIPSA says the “deeply troubling” plans will impact hundreds of cleaning staff – who are predominantly female – and are “a direct attack on workers”.
Aramark say the technologies will create “more efficient ways of working” while “offering enhanced environmental benefits”.
Ryan Wilson, Assistant Secretary at NIPSA, told the News Letter: “A stark example of this is Castle Buildings, the headquarters of the Department of Health, where weekly cleaning hours are being slashed from 300 to 125, a 60 percent reduction. This will inevitably impact cleaning standards and hygiene in public buildings.
“Our members have informed us that they are being told they have to support the robotic vacuum cleaners, whose limitations are abound. These machines are being used as an excuse to justify job cuts, not to improve services. Instead of public money supporting fair wages and local communities, it is being used to strip jobs and funnel savings into corporate profits.
“This contract was meant to uphold social value principles, yet the workers who rely on it are being discarded. The consultation runs until the end of March, but the message from our members is clear. These cuts must not be allowed to happen.
“We are calling on the Finance Minister to ensure this does not happen on their watch and to take all necessary steps to protect these vital workers. Public money should be used to sustain jobs, not replace them with machines”.
Aramark said that “similar to other industries, these advancements in technology may impact the way in which our teams have traditionally worked. Our priority has and continues to be open and transparent communication with all our relevant stakeholders. We have proactively reached out to relevant unions and continue to work alongside those that wish to engage.
“We are currently working through all relevant sites to communicate closely with our colleagues via a comprehensive consultation process. The wellbeing of our colleagues remains a top priority for us as we work through this process”.
The DUP vice chair of the finance committee Diane Forsythe has said workers must be treated fairly and any savings from automation should benefit the taxpayer.
The News Letter asked the Sinn Fein-run finance department on Tuesday if the minister John O’Dowd supports jobs being cut to be replaced by robots – and whether there are any commensurate savings for the department in the new contract with Aramark, which starts in April.
A spokesperson did not answer the questions – saying Minister O’Dowd “has no role in the award or delivery of contracts”. They added: “The NICS cleaning contract must meet a specified standard in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract which includes payment of the real Living Wage”.
The other Executive parties - Sinn Fein, Alliance and the Ulster Unionists – have not responded to questions on the matter. The News Letter asked the parties for their view on the job cuts – and on the NICS policy of outsourcing low-paid workers, but retaining other NICS staff in house.
Cleaning, security and catering staff in civil service buildings were outsourced to private companies many years ago. The current contract for Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) buildings is held by the global firm Aramark – with a new agreement in place from April of this year. Outsourcing arrangements have been justified as part of an efficiency drive – but no other group of staff within the NICS has been outsourced in the same manner. It has led to criticism that low-paid staff have poorer entitlements than those employed directly by NICS.