Union blasts council chief for 'abandoning' housing staff

HULL Council is being accused of obstructing the smooth transfer of workers from collapsed social housing group Connaught to a new employer.

Construction union UCATT claims council leader Carl Minns has washed his hands of the 120-strong workforce.

Throughout the week union representatives from Ucatt, Unite, the GMB and Unison have been delivering letters asking householders for their support in Coun Minns’s Kingswood ward.

Since Connaught’s collapse workers have continued turning up for shifts, but still don’t know whether their jobs have been saved or even who their employer currently is. Five women workers have already been sacked.

Initially unions believed housing contractor Lovells, which bought many of the Connaught contracts, would be taking over the Hull deal, securing the workers’ jobs and preserving their old terms and conditions.

However Ucatt believes Hull Council was “unhappy” with the deal and preferred the contract to be broken up, some of the workforce being rehired on inferior terms and conditions.

The union says the council leader has said he will not meet them again to preserve his impartiality.

The secretary of UCATT’s Yorkshire region, Steve Murphy, said: “Rather than fight tooth and nail for 140 local workers who are dedicated to providing a first class service for local tenants, he has instead washed his hands of them.”

Mr Murphy, added: “Coun Minns has a key role in resolving these problems. Rather than ignore the unions he must work with us to secure the future of workers in Hull.”

The council has invited Kier and KWL, two companies which already carry out work on the council’s behalf, as well as Lovell Partnerships, to put in a business case for the remainder of the contract, which the unions estimate is worth between 5m and 8m.

A council source said no date had been set for a meeting to decide the bids, adding: “The council has not read them – there’s no pre-determination on any of it. The council has not ruled anything in or out.”

Hull Council said they were working as quickly as possible to resolve the situation. A spokeswoman denied that the council was “obstructing” the transfer.