Fears for jobs as Lisburn Council set to ''outsource'' festive lighting to private contractor

Workers at Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council are said to be demanding answers on the threatened outsourcing of festive lighting.
Lisburn and Castlereagh Borough Council celebrate the start of the Christmas period with a festival of light, parade and Santa turning on the Christmas tree light. November 2019. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEyeLisburn and Castlereagh Borough Council celebrate the start of the Christmas period with a festival of light, parade and Santa turning on the Christmas tree light. November 2019. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye
Lisburn and Castlereagh Borough Council celebrate the start of the Christmas period with a festival of light, parade and Santa turning on the Christmas tree light. November 2019. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Council workers were allegedly told the decision to outsource was taken at the council Development Committee meeting of September 2 - without any consultation with representative trade unions.

Unite the Union has challenged the economic case for outsourcing the Christmas lighting across the entire borough to a private contractor, referring to last year’s ‘‘debacle’’ on costs of lighting Lisburn.

Kieran Ellison, Regional Officer for Unite confirmed that members of his union had been informed that their role in erecting festive lighting was to be outsourced to an unknown private sector operator following a decision taken behind closed doors at last week’s council Development committee.

Lisburn and Castlereagh Borough Council celebrate the start of the Christmas period with a festival of light, parade and Santa turning on the Christmas tree light. November 2019. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEyeLisburn and Castlereagh Borough Council celebrate the start of the Christmas period with a festival of light, parade and Santa turning on the Christmas tree light. November 2019. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye
Lisburn and Castlereagh Borough Council celebrate the start of the Christmas period with a festival of light, parade and Santa turning on the Christmas tree light. November 2019. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

‘‘If the information provided to our members is accurate, this will be a major blow to the council workers affected and opens the door to much more widespread outsourcing of work by Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council.

‘‘We are particularly disappointed and concerned over the manner in which this decision appears to have been taken: behind closed doors and with absolutely no consultation with representative trade unions.

‘‘Over recent years, our members have generously made concessions to hold down the cost of festive lighting to ratepayers – indeed, council electricians who provide the lighting on overtime do not receive any higher rate.

‘‘But with this decision, those efforts have been thrown back in their faces. Instead workers have been told that the previous three-year contract to outsource festive lighting in Lisburn City will now be extended across the entire district.

‘‘The extra hours involved in putting up lights makes a huge difference to the council workers who rely upon the extra money at Christmas time. Some of these workers have young families and coming on the back of the tumult of pandemic, this is a real blow to them.

‘‘Many workers fear for their job security given the way in which this decision was taken without any explanation offered. What else is to be outsourced? Those who will be most affected are the last to know.

‘‘After the debacle on costs of festive lighting last year, when because of a contractual arrangement the council was tied into paying more than half a million pounds of ratepayers money on lighting Lisburn – estimated to be twice the cost of lighting Belfast City – our members are questioning the economic logic of this proposal.

‘‘They just can’t see how outsourcing this work to a private company which has to make a profit on top of their price can compete with the small cost of doing this work in-house – given the concessions that the workers have offered.

‘‘‘Unite and our workforce reps are seeking an urgent meeting with council management to obtain clarity on this decision, its scale and any economic case.’’

Mr Ellison continued: ‘‘We will seek to meet with the leaders of the political groupings on the council to press them to remove this threat from our members and ensure that it is Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council workers who put up the festive lights this Christmas.’’

Last year the Green Party’s Simon Lee said Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council’s decision to spend more than half a million pounds on lighting for the festive period was ‘‘wrong-headed’’ as it was claimed at the time that other councils gave their festive cash to helping those affected by the pandemic.

The total festive spend amounted to £535,000 last year, and included an animated Christmas tree, a 100m-long light tunnel and a six metre reindeer on Comber Road.

The budget was agreed by the Development Committee.

About half the money - £240,000 - is part of a three-year contract associated with the annual running of popular annual festival, the Lisburn Light Festival.

The festival includes a 100ft “light tunnel” and an animated light show.

It had to be temporarily suspended at the beginning of December 2020 after the number of visitors it attracted was deemed to be a safety risk.

Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council made the decision due to a ‘‘significant increase in the number of people in the city,’’ however a phased return was implemented in which visitors were able to book slots to enter. It followed reports business-owners made it clear they wanted the event ‘‘back on.’’

A spokesperson for Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council said: ‘‘We are aware of recent concerns raised by Unite the Union and have received a request for a meeting. As always, we are happy to meet with Unite representatives to discuss any issues they wish to raise on behalf of their members. A meeting is being arranged.

‘‘As a Council, we have a very positive, long standing relationship with our trade union colleagues and we are committed to continued engagement and open discussion with them.

‘‘It is not appropriate to comment on specific staffing issues or the detail of ongoing procurement matters. However, we can confirm that as a Council, we continually make decisions on operational matters and services as the needs of the organisation change. Our focus is on ensuring best value for money for our residents whilst also maximising opportunities for staff.

"In addition, we can confirm that the Council is not currently procuring services that would impact job security of existing staff.’’