Sunday, August 02, 2009

Orchard Lodge - Union Occupation of Secure Children’s Home

This shows how the worst private contractors fail to deliver services to the most vulnerable users and how little respect they have for public service.’ UNISON Regional Organiser Daniel Peppiatt

I am picking up on reports about the occupation on Friday by UNISON and NASWAT members at Orchard Lodge, South London. On that day the 71 staff had been told that they were all dismissed with 2 hours notice and would not be paid or given contractual redundancy pay.

The staff occupied the site (the children had been taken away by then) but eventually the company agreed to pay its statutory commitments and the occupation ended at 10.30pm on Friday. Negotiations about actual figures are still continuing.

Orchard House is (or use to be) a 24 bed “secure” home for boys. It had belonged to Southwark council until 2006 when it was bought out by the private company “Glencare”. Many of whom are young offenders accused or convicted of serious offenses.

All the other 19 secure units for children in the UK are run by local authorities. Early this year the Youth Justice Board had decided that it would close since they wanted to reduce the national number of secure beds.

Now, I am not sure about the why this decision was made and why they decided to close the only secure unit for boys in London? But the actions of the company regarding their staff are simply shocking. Sacking the staff with only a few hours notice and telling them that the company will not pay them redundancy payments?

I’ve tried to goggle GlenCare to find out who owns the group but no luck. The Orchard Lodge website they refer to on in their press release appears to be defunct.

Whatever is the sorry tale that will come eventually come out it would appear to be yet another disastrous venture into sensitive social care by private companies. Please remember that these companies are out to make money. Their primary fiduciary duty is to their shareholders. On the one hand they try to claim the moral high ground by claiming “lives would be put at risk” (in their press release) if the service is withdrawn? Then they go on to try and wash their hands of all responsibility for the well being of their staff by not honouring their pay? Hmmm?

Crazy, crazy, crazy – and despite this local councils and the government still don’t really understand why the unions hate the idea of private “for profit” companies taking on what should be public service contracts?

Photo and Guardian report.

7 comments:

Charlie Marks said...

The growth of the "public services industry" in recent years is worrying - the reason we have public services is because of market failure, usually because there isn't effective demand (meaning people could not afford to pay of these services individually) and so for-profit companies aren't interested.

In the case of public services and utilities, a chance exists for private companies to get the government to subsidize their profits, as has been the case with rail privatisation, or overlook anti-competitive practices (e.g. the dodgy-looking gas and electricity markets) which harm consumers.

Anonymous said...

Off topic, but I see that Marsha Thomson says off-handedly in her latest post that she's not about to rejoin Labour. So she's not a Party member now then?

Anonymous said...

SO MT not in the Labour Party
still active in LRC
seems most LRC activits arnt in it

why dont they change themselves to RMT Representation Committeee

shame went the same way as labour Briefing

just cannot stop themselves

ultra Left with no base

John Gray said...

Hi Charlie

Very true.

Hi Anons
Marsha is about to have a new baby so I will have nothing but kind thoughts and supportive comments about her!

Don’t worry one day she will see the light.

Mind you the LRC is still a legitimate target of course.

Anonymous said...

last I heard was baby and Mother at Cricket and doing well

Anonymous said...

Marsha has finally confessed she has not renewed her membership.

John Gray said...

sorry but no anon attacks on staff please.