Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) are starting a 24-hour candlelit vigil outside the Ministry of Defence (MoD) main building in Whitehall today over plans to privatise defence training. Training in a whole range of skills and specialisms across the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air force is set to be outsourced in two packages to defence consortia. The PCS claims the move will lead to a drop in standards. The candlelit vigil comes as more than 20,000 MoD jobs are under threat from either job cuts or privatisation, which the union believes will threaten the support Britain’s armed forces receive. Paul Barnsley, PCS national officer for the MOD, said: “These plans put at risk the future quality of the training of our armed forces. The MoD have disgracefully told their staff that they cannot bid for their own jobs and are to be denied the opportunity to put together an in-house bid. “Today they will make clear that they are not prepared to work for the private sector as they believe that the unquenchable thirst for profit that will result will lead to a drop in standards and quality to ensure shareholder dividends.”
