A Branch Education Resource

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UNISONs approach to PFI

• A Branch Education Resource

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UNISONs approach to PFI

• UNISON welcomes investment in the services that
  our members provide for the public. However we
  are opposed to the use of PFI as a means of
  investing in the public sector for 4 main
  reasons.

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UNISONs approach to PFI

• PFI is a more costly way of funding public
  services
• PFI projects tend to escalate.
• Staff Suffer
• The democratic costs.

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UNISONs twin track strategy Campaign and
negotiate

• 1.1 Campaigning
• UNISON opposes PFI because of the threats to
  public services and the threats to our members.
  We need to highlight this opposition by
  campaigning against the high financial,
  employment and democratic costs of PFI schemes.
• Each PFI scheme should be campaigned against at
  local level.

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Local Campaigns

• local campaigns have two main aims
• To publicise the issue. Most members of the
  public and even most members of staff who will be
  affected by PFI do not know the consequences that
  PFI schemes might have for them. It is up to us
  to inform them.
• To strengthen our negotiating position. If a
  scheme does go ahead the fact that the consortium
  and the employer knows that there is a strong,
  well organised opposition from staff will give us
  a much stronger hand in negotiating protection
  for affected staff.

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Local Campaigns

• Local campaigning should be targeted at
• The employer
• Local politicians
• Opinion formers
• UNISON members and other staff groups
• Service users and local interest groups
• An effective campaign can make our negotiating
  position stronger and may even deter the employer
  from coming back with new schemes later on.

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Negotiating

• If a PFI project does go ahead UNISON wants the
  best possible deal for our members.
• a

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What UNISON wants to do

• What UNISON wants to do is
• Find out information about the PFI project as
  soon as any options are put forward.
• Challenge any PFI proposals as soon as possible
  especially on issues relating to staff
• Negotiate the exclusion of all staff from the
  proposal or if they are included, negotiate
  protection for them.
• Interview any consortium that is shortlisted to
  build a PFI facility.

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What UNISON wants to do

• Our key aim would be to keep members involved in
  the campaign and any negotiations.

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