UCATT has welcomed a move by Glasgow City Council to secure employment of up to 1,600 maintenance workers.

The local authority has formed a joint venture (JV) social housing maintenance company with the city's major housing associations.

By forming a partnership between the council's City Building, a Direct Labour Organisation - and the Wheatley Group, led by the Glasgow Housing Association (GHA), it means the maintenance work for the Wheatley Group will now no longer go out to public tender.

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The City Building company currently has maintenance contracts for all social housing of the Wheatley Group, which was up for tender in 2018.

The deal is worth £200 million per year and generated over 90% of City Building's income.

UCATT Regional Secretary for Scotland, Harry Frew, welcomed the JV's establishment.

He said: "This is a landmark day for common sense in the city of Glasgow. We, and other trade unions, have been discussing this issue with councillors, MPs, and MSPs for a number of months. The Joint Trade Union Committee (JTUC) lobbied the Scottish Parliament and secured cross party support for this venture. This joint venture secures our members' jobs for what could be up to 20 years."

(LM)