Controversial plans to hand over the running of council departments and hundreds of jobs to a private company were today approved.
The 48-member Southampton City Council decided to hand a private company a 10-year contract to run customer services, IT, human resources, property, tax and benefits. It will involve the transfer of about 650 jobs.
The proposals have sparked angry protests and walkouts from unions who have refused to co-operate with council chiefs over the proposals.
They have branded them a "sell-off" and say it will put jobs, salaries and pensions at risk.
Mike Tucker, branch secretary of the council's Unison branch which has about 2,000 members, about one sixth of the workforce, said: "We are disappointed that the council is ingnoring all the side commercial and financial arguments against the privatisation."
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