South Wales Evening Post - 11 January 2007
Union bosses have clashed with Swansea Council over claims of broken leisure centre job promises.
Unison say the authority pledged that Swansea Leisure Centre staff, who lost their posts when the popular tourist attraction closed, would be re-employed if it reopened.
The union also claims the council has failed to honour a commitment to consult on any move to outsource council services.
Swansea Council has dismissed the claims and hit back, stating that no such promise on jobs was given.
Last week the council vowed the hugely popular centre would be reopened by the end of the year.It closed suddenly in November 2003 and was later revealed to be in a hazardous state because of poor maintenance.
Swansea's Lib Dem-led coalition abandoned plans to flatten the centre.
Instead they unveiled a proposal to refurbish it at a cost of £32 million.
Last week they revealed a not-for-profit trust would be in charge of running the centre once it was up and running.
Jeff Baker, of Unison, said the reopening was great news, but was disappointed with the way Swansea Council had handled the move.
He said: "We wrote to the authority saying we welcomed the fact they were planning to open it.
"However, we did remind them they gave us a commitment, because of the debacle that shut the centre, they would re-employ the staff that lost their jobs."
Twenty-five of the 100 staff were made redundant with the others redeployed.
Mr Baker said: "They also have given us a commitment that they would keep everything in-house.
"We are disappointed, because after the IT dispute we were given a formal commitment they would consult with the trade unions on any potential way of owning and running the services.
"It is effectively being outsourced and they have come to this conclusion without consulting us.
"Mr Baker said unions wanted to discuss the different ways of delivering the service and their impacts and benefits.
He said: "We and the public deserve, I think, to look at that and look at the benefits of the service."
A spokesman for Swansea Council said: "The council did not give any commitment to the unions that they would re-employ staff who were affected by the closure of Swansea Leisure Centre.
"At the time of the closure in November 2003, there was no expectation the leisure centre would reopen.
"The majority of those staff who worked at the centre at that time, and expressed a wish to continue working with the council, were redeployed.
"This is not an issue of outsourcing, because Swansea Leisure Centre does not currently employ any staff.
"Any members of staff who do wish to apply for jobs at Swansea Leisure Centre will be supported in their applications."
