Items of news previously published on the branch website:-
On the 28th June the branch finally received a detailed reply to the questions raised with the Town Clerk concerning the Pay & Grading Review.
This followed an exchange of correspondence between the Town Clerk and Branch Secretary. In one of his letters the Town Clerk did request that a copy be circulated to all members. This will be considered at next weeks Branch Executive Meeting. Obviously if the Executive decide to do so the letter will be circulated with all the correspondence.
In the meantime if you wish to see the original questions raised by the branch and the response from the review team please Click Here
Comments made by the Branch Secretary have been added to the question & answer document.
13 July 2007
Town Clerk refuses to answer questions from Unison!
Following the successful Special Branch Meeting on the Pay & Grading Review, the Branch Secretary wrote to the Town Clerk with the concerns raised by the Unison members.
The Town Clerk opened the process to all the staff because he realises that the City of London Staff are not adequately represented by the recognised unions. Despite this he refused to answer the branch secretary's letter on the grounds that the branch isn't recognised!
Malcolm Key, the branch Secretary has sent this reply:-
I write in reply to your letter of 18 June.
My letter of 18 June on behalf of City of London employees who are UNISON members was intended to be a convenient means of eliciting answers to common questions and concerns about the new pay scales.
It is very disappointing that you refuse to respond to them on the grounds of the employees’ choice of trade union membership, a choice which is their legal right.
I would point out that the concerns raised may issue in claims under employment and contract law and that, while the City may choose not to negotiate with UNISON, it may not avoid such claims in law if the union brings them on behalf of members. It is therefore not in the City’s interest simply to ignore these concerns.
In the light of your refusal, I am copying this reply to all City UNISON members with the request that each member copies to you my original letter, asking for a direct response.
All branch members are asked to raise the issues direct with the Town Clerk stating that:-
"I am outraged by your refusal to respond to my concerns about the new pay scales on the grounds of my choice of trade union.
Following UNISON advice, I attach a copy of Malcolm Key’s original letter to you as my direct response to the consultation.
I would be grateful for your reply to these points"
A copy of the original letter can be obtained below (Branch Letter to the Town Clerk)
19 June 2007
The Special General Meeting of the City of London Branch held on Thursday 7th June
The meeting discussed the implications of the Pay & Grading Review 2007.
Branch Letter to the Town Clerk
The Branch has received some advice concerning the legal implications of the pay & grading review. For further information please contact the Branch Secretary or your local representative.
PDF Format of the Pay & Grading Review
Local Government Pay Claim 2007/8
Unions blast 'paltry' pay offer for local authority workers.
21/03/07) Unions dismissed the local government employers' 2% pay offer yesterday as "insulting and demeaning".
Coming on the day when inflation 4.6%, UNISON and its fellow trade unions rejected the offer as "not good enough to consult on".
The employers' organisation asked for further talks and agreed to take the unions' rejection back to local authorities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UNISON head of local government Heather Wakefield said: "This is effectively a pay cut. With today's inflation rates going up to 4.6% and living costs rising much faster than council workers pay, millions of workers are being pushed closer to the breadline.
"This is a paltry pay award which will drive down the morale of staff further.
"Our members are angry. 70% of employers have failed to complete pay and grading reviews promised by the end of this month. In addition, the review of the local government pension scheme has yet to be completed."
Last month, UNISON, TGWU and GMB submitted a local government pay claim to employers covering some 1.3 million council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The claim included:
- any deal was for one year only;
- 5% award increase or £1,000, whichever is the greater;
- a guaranteed minimum hourly rate of £6.30;
- an increase in basic annual leave entitlement to 25 days per year as the minimum entitlement for all employees;
- a reduction in the standard working week to 35 hours, without loss of pay;
- an increase in the night shift allowance over a three-year period from a time and a third, to time and a half, to time and three quarters, to double time in the final year;
- an increase in the sleep-in allowance to £60.
Workers covered by the claim include care assistants, cleaners, teaching assistants, librarians and refuse collectors – some of the poorest paid workers with the worst annual leave entitlements.
More than 60% of those people earn just £15,825 or less - around £8,000 less than the national average, and 75% of them are women.
Remember this is the claim submitted to the national employers for payment on the 1st April. Settlement date for the City of London Corporation is still 1st July
The claim for the City of London Corporation staff:-
- An increase of 5% or £1,000 ( whichever is the greater ) on Basic Pay and Protected Salaries.
- An increase of 5% to the current London Weighting Payments.
- An additional day of Annual leave for all Staff below Grade 7 employed after 1st July 1997.
New law presents opportunity to tackle an age-old probem
Read more here:- Employment Equality (Age) Regulations
HSE FINDS LITTLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LEVELS OF SICKNESS IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS
Report exposes myths about sickness absence
(Workplace Report September 2006)
EMPLOYERS should stop peddling the myth about high rates of public-sector sick leave, new official research has shown.
The Health and Safety Executive’s Survey on workplace absence, sickness and (ill) health 2005 (SWASH) found differences of only about 0.3 days per employee between sickness absence rates in the public and private sector, when differences in the size of organisations and the age and gender profiles of their staff are taken into account.
If also uncovered evidence that private-sector employers, particularly those in smaller businesses, are more likely to under-record levels of employee absence.
The survey, based on 10,000 interviews with employees, revealed that employees in small private firms take an average of four days’ sick leave per year. For those in private companies employing more than 250 staff, the average sick leave is 7.2 days — very close to the 7.2-day average among public-sector employers, almost all of which have a workforce of more than 250.
The SWASH findings contrast with recent surveys by the CBI employers’ organisation and management consultants CIPD, which found greater differences in private- and public-sector sick leave. But even these surveys have recognised that levels of sickness absence are generally falling.
SWASH 2005 is available at :-
www.hsegov.uk/sicknessabsence/swash2005.pdf
Help UNISON keep you informed by email
Dear UNISON member
I am writing to ask you to take a moment to help UNISON, your trade union, protect you more effectively at work.
Please make sure we have a current email address for you that UNISON can use to contact you.
Use this short form to add/change your details:-
www.unison.org.uk/help/changeofemail.asp
Recently many of you took action to defend your rights in the local government pension scheme, By acting together, we made government and employers think again - and email communication was vital.
But the pensions negotiations still hang in the balance. Further action may be needed.
THat is why UNISON needs you to add or update your email address so we can contact you quickly and effectively. We will not give your email address to any other organisations or send you 'spam' mail. We will use you email sparingly on vital issues relating to your membership or your job.
Thank you for taking your time to read this.
Yours sincerely
Dave Prentis
General Secretary
Updated - 23 August 2006
The Branch opposes threat to central appraisee training.
The Executive Committee sends an open letter to Susan Lacey, Corporation Learning & Development Manager about proposals to save money by cutting staff training Read Here
18th May 2006
The Branch Secretary outlines problems Corporation Staff are having with the "computer mis-use" rule.
Read Here
18th May 2006
National Strike - 28th March 2006
Photographs of the Guildhall Pickets
Full coverage of the strike can be found on
the National Unison Website
Updated 29th March 2006
The Branch Retired Members Secretary outlines the need for action for today's pensioners.
Read
