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Public sector union Unison is to lobby the government to bring stock transfer under its new code of practice on the two-tier workforce. This means that, as well as protecting the pay and conditions of staff that are transferred to the new organisation, the new employer would be obliged to appoint any new joiners on terms that are "no less favourable" than those of the transferred staff. The code is written specifically to deal with the public sector contracts being undertaken by private sector firms. Unison's case will be made on the grounds that stock transfer falls within the spirit of the agreement; the government's defence is that stock transfer is not a contract but a disposal.

The union's job is to get the best deal for its members.But let's face it, housing associations aren't generally uncaring, exploitative employers out to bleed their staff dry. Arguably, by trying to impose the same pay and conditions as council staff, Unison will also impose on housing associations the same inflexibilities, not to mention a new inequality for existing non-transferred staff.

In this day and age, most staff want to feel that good performance will be noticed and rewarded. Saddling associations with the same culture and straitjackets that linger in some corners of the public sector won't make the job more appealing to the calibre of people that housing needs. Instead it renders it pointless to transfer the organisation in the first place. But then, presumably, that's the point: to make transfer unfeasible. The union is, after all, ideologically opposed to the policy.

Unison’s job is to get the best deal for its members, but RSLs are not out to bleed their staff dry

Clearly the government would be mad to cave in on this one, knowing that it would undermine a huge swathe of its housing policy. Unison must know that the odds on winning this bout are stacked in Blair's favour. But it is a timely reminder – if one were needed – that the fight for stock transfer is far from over.

   An estate of lottery winners might sound far-fetched, but Neath Port Talbot council is getting a step closer with its quarterly "Rent Bonanza" (page 30). To reduce rent arrears, tenants who've cleared their bills are entered into a prize draw for a £250 jackpot – not quite enough to fund a life of luxury but, at 1 in 8000, the odds of winning it are considerably better than the national equivalent.