Look at PFI's impact on pay, says UNISON

(08/07/08) The government’' review of PFI projects needs to look at their effect in public-service workers' pay and conditions, says UNISON.The union raised the issue at a top-level conference on the private finance initiative yesterday, and today welcomed officials' responses on the issue.UNISON participants at the National Audit Office’s annual private finance conference argued that the planned review of current PFI projects needs to look at whether they have harmed public sector pay and conditions.And they were please when the head of the Treasury's PFI unit Gordon McKechnie responded: "We would be very happy to consult with you on that. Value for money should not be achieved at the expense of the workforce."He was backed by Edward Leigh MP, chairman of the House of Commons public accounts committee, who said he would ask government auditors to look at the issue.UNISON policy officer Margie Jaffe welcomed the comments, saying: "UNISON wants to hold the government to account for the two tier workforce. "It is government policy to protect the terms and conditions of the workforce when services are contracted out, but too many staff are either not covered by an agreement or find it is not enforced. "This commitment to find out what is happening is overdue and just shows that we need to keep the pressure up. Nationally and locally UNISON will continue to campaign to protect or member's jobs, pay and conditions and to end the two tier workforce."