University Outsourcing

EDM number 1216 in 2012-13, proposed by Caroline Lucas on 19/03/2013.
Categorised under the topics of Employment, Higher education and Service industries.

That this House is aware of the occupation taking place at the University of Sussex, which is part of an ongoing campaign by staff and students to oppose the University's plans to outsource key services, including catering and estates management, transferring more than 10 per cent of the workforce from university employment to private contractors; shares concerns about third party providers being contracted to undertake such services and is disappointed that the University has not fully considered the option of an in-house service improvement plan instead; regrets that neither trades unions nor the student union were properly involved in the outsourcing decisions taken by the University and continue to feel excluded from the decision-making processes; notes research that shows privatisation of services does not automatically raise the quality of what is on offer and that in many other institutions outsourcing has been accompanied by a significant decline in service levels, resulting in services being brought back in-house; expresses deep concern at the Government's promotion of the commercialisation of the higher education sector; and calls on Sussex and other universities to oppose moves to turn universities into businesses and students into consumers.

This motion has been signed by a total of 32 MPs.