Public bodies need to be careful with outsourcing
Local governments and public bodies are in a no win situation for some decisions they have to make. Tax payers money and getting the most efficient use from it is extremely important and the public would be up in arms if they thought their money was being wasted. Unfortunately, one way that a public service or non departmental governing body can reduce costs is to examine outsourcing as a way of lowering their labor costs. The people who are strongly opposed to the inefficient use of tax payer’s money should be delighted about the savings that this move will bring but of course, as there is liable to be a local loss of employment arising from outsourcing, there is public outcry. This means that whatever decisions a council or government makes, some parties will take great discomfort and displeasure from it.
This situation is perfectly explained by examining the issues facing the Transit Board in North County at the moment who are struggling to offer a bus service for the income it brings in. There should be a duty placed on bodies like this to ensure a public transport provision is offered to the local community but if the current method is not suitable, then alternative methods should be explored. This is the thinking behind the Board’s decision to look for tenders from firms who are willing to provide an outsourcing service to run their buses. The Board’s way of thinking can be seen that they cannot afford to run the service in its current form but by choosing a different method of providing the service, they will be able to ensure a transit system is provided for the local community. It is certainly not ideal but it is a better alternative than the Transit Board pulling out all conveyance vehicles from the area.
Of course, this move has been criticized by some quarters with six bus drivers making a frenzied opposition to these proposals. As they rightly point out, for the lower wages that the outsourcing firm will be offering, there is next to no chance of the currently highly skilled staff being able to be kept on or for the staff to justify the wage cut. This is extremely unfortunate and the loss of experience and skill from the workplace is a very unfortunate side effect from outsourcing. It is always hoped that the level of expertise brought in by outsourcing will be enough to counter the people who have left but on occasions, it is not.
The potential job losses will cause a lot of difficulties in gaining full public approval but the fact that the same body has managed to undertake similar outsourcing practices on a number of its other lines, without any noticeable loss of quality or service, should be enough to convince the Board that this is a move worth taking. It is true to say that outsourcing will cause a great number of issues and conflicts for a firm and the emotive nature of the move can be never be discounted easily.
