‘No social value’

Unite has called on the government to withdraw its decision to award the contract to privatise the Ministry of Defence (MoD) firefighters and defence workers, to troubled outsourcing company Capita, following the announcement that all future outsourcing contracts should be assessed on ‘social value’.

Last week (June 18) it was announced that the government had awarded the MoD firefighters contract to Capita, on a 12 year contract.

On Monday (June 25) cabinet officer minister David Lidington announced that in the light of Carillion’s collapse early this year, it would amend the Social Value Act to require all central government contracts to “explicitly evaluate social value where appropriate”.

“If the government’s new pledge is going to have any value whatsoever then it must immediately reconsider its plans to privatise the MoD firefighters,” said Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail.

“There is absolutely no social value in awarding this contract to Capita, a company which has a risk factor of 10:10 due to its dire financial situation,” she added. “The government now has yet another reason to cancel the awarding of this contract and maintain the service in-house.

“MoD firefighters and defence workers are on the frontline of protecting the UK’s military bases both in the UK and abroad. They are required to protect military equipment in war zones when required.

“If social value means anything then dedicated defence workers should not have their lives and jobs privatised, with their futures dependent on the decisions of Capita which is solely focused on maximising its own profits.”