Jobs under threat at the Legal Complaints Service,
following shake-up
9th December 2009
A total of 350 jobs could either be lost or workers’ employment
conditions downgraded, following a shake-up at the Legal Complaints
Service (formerly the Law Society), Unite, the largest union in the
country, warned today (Wednesday, 9 December).
The jobs are being transferred to a new quango, the Office of
Legal Complaints (OLC), and Unite fears that the new management
could ‘cherry pick’ the staff it wants.
Not only could this mean poorer employment and pension
conditions for staff at the OLC, but that many could lose their
jobs completely.
Unite said that the situation is made worse by the announcement
from justice minister, Bridget Prentice, that the TUPE arrangements
whereby staff continue to enjoy the same employment conditions when
they transfer to a new organisation won’t apply to the
OLC.
Rachael Maskell, Unite national officer, community and non
profit sector, said: ”The fact that the government has decided that
the TUPE arrangements don’t apply could condemn up to 350 staff to
either losing their jobs during this reorganisation or having their
employment conditions and pensions severely eroded.”
Rachael Maskell said that Unite would be getting a legal opinion
to see if the government’s ruling was legally valid and will also
be seeking an urgent meeting with Bridget Prentice in a bid to
safeguard jobs and conditions.
The new organisation will deal with complaints that people make
against solicitors who have allegedly failed to give a good
service.
ENDS
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