Hull leisure workers to take to the streets

More than 100 hundred Hull Culture and Leisure workers will take to the streets.

The demonstration on 25 March, takes place ahead of a cabinet meeting that will decide the service’s future, as follows:

Where: The Guildhall, Alfred Gelder Street, Hull, HU1 2AA

When: Monday, 25 March 8.30am – 10am

Contact: Les Dobbs – 07966 327967 or les.dobbs@gmb.org.uk

HCAL, which runs leisure facilities across the city - including parks, swimming pools, libraries and the Ice Arena - is owned by Hull City Council, who set up HCAL ten years ago.

Now Councillors are proposing to bring a small number of its staff back under the Council umbrella, creating a two-tier workforce in pay and conditions.

GMB members will hand over a petition signed by members who work at dozens of sites around Hull, demanding all leisure services are brought in-house by Hull City Council and calling on them ‘not to divide Hull Culture and Leisure staff’.

Liz Marshall, GMB Organiser, said:

“This proposal from Hull City Council to bring a small number of staff back into the council’s service is a clear attempt to divide and conquer the leisure services’ workforce.

“Staff deserve to be properly informed and given reasons as to why the Council wants to bring only a small number of outsourced staff back in-house.

“Our members will be out in force today to show how strongly they feel. We will not be divided.

“We call on the cabinet meeting to start listening and do the right thing by moving to bring all leisure staff back into the Council.”