A leading public service trade union is to hold a strike ballot over a £10bn programme to privatise military training. Its action could disrupt government plans for the largest-yet defence PFI deal.
The Public and Commercial Services union has polled more than 2,000 of its military instructional officers - who train servicemen to repair equipment such as tanks and operate radar and missile systems in the field - over proposals to outsource the work to private firms.
It claims that 80-95 per cent of members are against the move, which would take the form of a 25-year contract. The government is expected to announce preferred bidders on phase one of the Defence Training Rationalisation programme, which includes aeronautical, and communications engineering, later this month or early next month.
Key to union objections are plans by the bidders to move training from more than 30 sites to one or two locations. One consortium, Metrix, which includes Qinetiq and Land Securities, is proposing to move all training to St Athan, in South Wales. The other, MC3, includes BAE Systems, VT Group and Carillion, and plans to locate all work at Bordon, in Hampshire, and Cosford, in the West Midlands.
A senior PCS officials said that its instructors 'will not move and they don't want to have their jobs transferred to a private company'.
