Kirklees Council designers could strike over job cut fears

Oct 23 2009 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

ARCHITECTS and engineers are voting on strike action amid fears that 80 jobs could go.

Workers at Kirklees Council’s Design and Property Services are deciding whether to down tools after millions of pounds worth of work was given to private companies.

The service employs architects, building surveyors, structural engineers, landscape architects and electrical engineers at Kirkgate Buildings on Byram Street.

The 186 staff design council buildings including schools, offices and libraries.

But several large contracts have been sent out to the private sector in the last four months, leading to union fears that up to 80 jobs could be cut.

Kirklees Unison spokesman Mick Ryan said: “I don’t know why the council are doing this. They are putting work out when they have qualified staff who could do it.

“Why have a dog and bark yourself?”

Some £2.1m of contracts – about a third of the service’s annual workload – has been given to private sector companies in the past four months.

Among the jobs to be contracted out is the £700,000 design of the new £7m Headfield Primary School in Dewsbury, £400,000 for the design of Dewsbury Crematorium and £400,000 each for the design of new libraries in Heckmondwike and Ravensthorpe.