Unite to demonstrate against outsourcing and redundancy plans outside Oxfam offices

Unite members at Oxfam will protest tomorrow outside their offices against redundancy and outsourcing plans by the charity.

The outsourcing targets workers in the charity's publishing team – which manages the production of globally respected research and reports – and its training team, who develop staff skills.

Oxfam is planning to replace secure jobs with casual work. Staff are being made redundant, but the organisation is proposing their work will then be done by outside agencies or casual staff, without a business case being made for this to workers.

Despite comments to external media that it is “not preparing to outsource in-house roles”, Oxfam has stated clearly in writing to Unite members that staff will be made redundant and their work outsourced.

The proposals are currently at consultation stage. The outsourcing protest - where union members will gather outside the NGO's London, Manchester and Oxford offices - is part of a campaign by the union to pressure Oxfam to roll back a wider redundancy programme and save as many jobs as possible.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Any corporation that threw out its permanent workers in order to replace them with casual labour or agencies would rightly face principled criticism from Oxfam - yet that is what it is doing to our members.

"This situation is totally unacceptable and our members have Unite’s full support throughout their campaign."

Workers fear more permanent roles could be scrapped if Oxfam continues with its plan. The outsourcing redundancies are part of a wider programme, which will see Oxfam cut 265 jobs.

Unite members have also launched a petition against the cuts. 

Regional coordinating officer Jamie Major said: "We are calling on members and supporters to join us at these protests, as well as to keep sharing and signing our petition against Oxfam's proposals.

"The plans undermine workers’ rights and flies in the face of Oxfam values and previous messaging. We are determined to keep fighting to save jobs at Oxfam."

An Oxfam spokesperson said: "We support the right to protest. We believe in union rights. These restructuring proposals are to secure our financial future, not about a policy to replace in house roles with non-unionised casual labour.

"Where our capacity is reduced, if we use short-term specialist expertise, it will be in accordance with our labour rights standards and our values. Like other charities, we have to make difficult decisions regarding our wage bill, so we can continue to respond to crises around the world."