According to Personnel Today, Nottinghamshire County Council is considering outsourcing services to the private sector.
The council is to ask private companies how they would run services such as catering and highways, and at what cost,
Council spokesman Tim Malynn said the review could help towards planned savings of £120m over the next four years.
He added: "Like every other council in the country, we are facing financial pressures and we must seriously look at who is best placed to provide some services."
The council spends £60m and employs 3,000 people in the services earmarked for privatisation, and Unison, which represents the staff, said it is willing to work with the council to protect the jobs concerned.
Unison's Mike Scott said: "We realise the council has got to cut back, but this is not the way to do it. The council seems hell-bent on privatisation and that is what this is all about."
Against this background of the key questions is whether the trade unions and management can align to put forward a common approach. Maybe mediation skills will represent a way forward.