Action Begins
This Saturday (10th May), UNISON members at Hilton Depot will, alongside their GMB colleagues, begin four days of strike action.
As of Tuesday 13th May, the Branch will be instructing all of our members to cease working all non-contractual overtime. This will have an immediate effect on the employers’ ability to continue to deliver services.
We also instruct our members to carry on with their work, but to do so, on a work to rule basis. This includes the following:-• To only undertake duties directly associated with your post,
• Not to build up flexi-leave and to work no more than your contracted hours on a weekly basis.
• Unless you are an essential car user and are contracted to provide a car, please do not use your own vehicle to carry out Council business. We would urge you to use the extensive public transport system that exists in the East Dunbartonshire area instead.
As you are all aware, the Branch conducted a ballot of our members as to whether or not we would be willing to take industrial action over the Single Status offer put to us.
This ballot was carried out under the required Industrial Action procedures laid out under Employment Law and was conducted by the Electoral Reform Service. The results of the ballot are as follows:-Number of Papers Issued 1636
Number of Papers returned 717
% Return 43.8%Number prepared to take action short of Industrial Action 465
Number not prepared to take action short of Industrial Action 248
% Prepared to take action short of Industrial Action 65.2%Number prepared to take Industrial Action 372
Number not prepared to take Industrial Action 339
% Prepared to take Industrial Action 52.3%The Branch Executive Committee met immediately after receiving this information to discuss the outcome of the Ballot and also the way forward. The conclusion reached was that our members are not content with the Single Status offer in its current form.
The Branch has been given a mandate to pursue this dispute and on this basis an Industrial Action Committee has been set up to look at the most effective way to prosecute any action. There were several options considered by the committee. The Industrial Action Committee have made the following recommendations:-Strike Action
A strategy was discussed and agreed which will include taking both strike and non-strike action. As far as the strike action goes, we are considering selective action and will be discussing this with certain groups of employees over the next few days.
Action Short of Strike
The committee also discussed what effective action could be taken short of strike action.
The Branch will be instructing all of our members to cease working all non-contractual overtime. This will have an immediate effect on the employers’ ability to continue to deliver services.
We also instruct our members to carry on with their work, but to do so, on a work to rule basis. This includes the following:-
• To only undertake duties directly associated with your post,
• Not to build up flexi-leave and to work no more than your contracted hours on a weekly basis.
• Unless you are an essential car user and are contracted to provide a car, please do not use your own vehicle to carry out Council business. We would urge you to use the extensive public transport system that exists in the East Dunbartonshire area instead.
Voluntary Contribution Scheme
It is the Branch Executive’s belief that any individuals taking action on behalf of the full membership should not suffer financially as a result of this.
The Industrial Action Committee agreed that these individuals should be compensated in full for any loss of earnings, including pension contributions. To allow the Branch to fund this we need to set up a voluntary contribution scheme which we would expect every member who is affected by Single Status to contribute to.
As you can work out from the table below, asking our members to take collective action on a sustained basis would be expensive to them as individuals. With this in mind, a decision was reached to set the voluntary contribution at a suggested level of £10 a week.Approximated daily salary for a full time employee
Grade 3 Grade 6 Grade 9 Grade12 It is hoped that you will agree that making a regular weekly or monthly voluntary contribution is a more affordable way for us all. Even if you feel that you feel you cannot afford £10, any amount will go towards a successful outcome.
We hope that you will all choose to contribute. This can be done by completing the enclosed Standing Order Mandate. (to download follow link to left)
Cash payments can also be made directly into the Industrial Action Fund at any East Dunbartonshire Local Office quoting the same bank details on the mandate form. Payment by cheques is also acceptable – make cheques payable to UNISON Action Fund and post them directly to the Branch Office.
Any funds paid through the voluntary contribution scheme, that are not used during the dispute will be refunded to the contributors, with this in mind we would ask all contributors to hold on to receipts etc.