Bristol City Council staff transfer to Bristol Waste may be scrapped

City bosses are now giving "serious consideration" to keeping staff where they are

Plans to transfer 122 Bristol council staff to the authority's waste management firm could be scrapped.

Employees working in "facilities management" roles had been earmarked for a permanent move to Bristol Waste.

City bosses are now giving "serious consideration" to keeping staff where they are, a council meeting heard.

Unions and opposition councillors expressed alarm over the move's impact on workers' terms and conditions, like sick leave and pension contributions.

Concerns were raised despite staff who were due to be transferred being subject to TUPE employment regulations, which protect pay and conditions.

Last Thursday, the city council's human resources committee heard Bristol Waste had not yet produced a business plan to support the move and the plans were far from a done deal, reported The Local Democracy Reporting Service.

'Vacuum of information'

About 200 cleaners and security staff were transferred from the local authority to its waste firm in 2021, but there has been no indication other employees would follow.

One council-employed mechanic said: "We have had no information from the council. We are in limbo all the time."

City council HR business partner James Brereton told the meeting: "We said to the staff in informal engagement sessions that we were expecting a business case from the company - we haven't had a business case from the company."

He added that a response they had received was being considered by senior management and he was aware there was a "vacuum of information" for staff, saying he hoped to share more soon.

Mr Brereton added there was "serious consideration of retaining the services in-house, perhaps in a reassembled fashion or a review".

GMB senior organiser Rowena Hayward told the meeting an explanation was needed about transfer plans and added staff needed to be fully briefed.

Mr Brereton said he agreed communication and consultation were "critical" and that staff affected should be given information and time.