COUNCIL workers opposing the privatisation of Glasgow’s IT services brought festive cheer to their protest with a remix of a popular Christmas song.

Around 40 staff, who are currently undertaking extended strike action over plans to privatise all local government IT services, picketed Labour councillors at the city chambers.

The Unison members re-wrote the words to Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ to remind councillors of a promise to keep them as part of the ‘Glasgow family’ following the IT meltdown in December last year.

One picketer said:“Our political remix of Last Christmas is a song of betrayal and disappointment of this unjustified privatisation – betrayal of core Labour principles by this administration and a reminder that we are the staff who recovered from a catastrophic disaster in the Access data centre last year.”

Engineers from the authority’s arms-length IT firm Access worked around the clock to resolve the issue which was caused by servers accidentally being sprayed by fire extinguishers in December 2015.

The damage caused systems to go down, leaving the main council switch board and emails out of action for a number of days.

Following the disaster, a £400million privatisation plan was developed by Labour which will see everything from IT in schools to social work departments will be run by an outside company.

Canadian-based CGI, which currently runs Edinburgh and Borders Council IT department, are tipped to be handed the contract.

However, plans have been referred back to the Labour-dominated executive committee for reappraisal after one their councillors accidentally hit the wrong button during a vote.

The committee will now have to consider this call for an ‘independent review of all options’ and vote whether to accept or reject this idea.

Tony Santilli, Unison Convenor, said: “Our members are taking this action to ensure that the council maintain quality IT services and also that our jobs and conditions are maintained.”

A council spokesman said: “Our plans for the development of IT services aim to deliver the best for the citizens of Glasgow – to break down the city’s digital divide, raise attainment in our schools by giving students the best learning tools, and promote new skills and new jobs.

“Staff have been given written guarantees that their jobs, terms and conditions, and pensions will be protected should the council decide to award a contract to CGI. These would be contractual guarantees that would go over and above TUPE regulations.

“The Unison leaders’ proposals for IT services are likely to cost hundreds of jobs, in contrast to what they claim.”