Cuts indicate potential for a huge round of redundancies

What are the Proposals?
UNISON and other trade union representatives were given draft proposals at the May CEMPOL meeting which dramatically weaken the position of all employees of Hull City Council facing redundancy, redeployment and retraining. In typically arrogant fashion, representatives of Hull City Council brought the three policy changes forward at the end of a long meeting under ‘Any Other Business’ before closing the meeting.

Since then UNISON Branch Secretary, Mike Adamson called an emergency CEMPOL at which council representatives refused to negotiate on any points, leaving no option but for trade union representatives to walk away.

The changes involve the following:-

• Changing the calculation of early termination of employment to effectively halve any payment to council workers facing redundancy.
• Reducing the current 5 year pay protection following redeployment to just 6 months.
• Reducing the actual redeployment and retraining period for workers to just 3 months after which that they would be made redundant on half what they would have been entitled to.

UNISON’s Position
Contrary to comments made by another union, UNISON’s position is to oppose the three changes and consult as widely as possible with our members. UNISON has not; unlike another union; already proposed compromises weakening members’ rights without even consulting our membership.

UNISON have organised 30 separate member consultation meetings; (See Page 2); and encourage all members to attend these to hear the full details and contribute to the consultation on what we do now.

UNISON is a fully democratic trade union with directly elected representatives and officers, unlike other trade unions that have been criticising us. UNISON has never refused to allow non-members to attend meetings on such issues as this; neither has UNISON refused access to members of other trade unions. On the contrary, UNISON welcomes workers who are not our members. Only by talking to non-members can we grow the union. This is why UNISON is by far the biggest union at Hull City Council.

UNISON members are asked to attend one of the following meetings to discuss the proposed changes to employee terms and conditions of employment and determine the response from your union. These meetings will present the policy changes and the implications of them for employees of Hull City Council as well as discuss what strategy members want their union to take forward on their behalf and with their support.

UNISON’s response to the employer so far has only consisted of informing them that we oppose the changes in principal but will fully consult with our members before determining what strategy to employ. Any other information provided by other sources is incorrect and should be ignored.

UNISON will only act following consultation and will always seek to negotiate to defend members best interests or take action with the democratic support of members. To do otherwise is undemocratic and potentially illegal. Such potentially illegal actions jeopardise individual members and the union as a whole.

UNISON has a proud history and tradition of fighting against attacks on our members. From organising the industrial action to protect our pensions, the two day action to win a better pay increase and to negotiating to prevent management excesses and injustices on a day to day basis, UNISON has proved it will stand and fight when needed but will also negotiate and talk to safeguard our members interests and public services.

This approach is a strength as is our diverse membership and the workplaces we cover.

It looks evermore likely that the next election will return a Tory government and that means an onslaught against jobs and conditions in public services across the UK. This is not ‘scaremongering’, this is taken from the Tories themselves. They have promised £20 billion cuts in public spending! That means our jobs and our services, make no mistake. The Shadow Tory Local Government Minister has already visited Hull City Council to size up what he has to lay waste to and made it clear there will be mass redundancies and cuts ‘to the bone’.

The Tories may get in on a slim majority. If so they will immediately attack trade unions and seek to de-recognise us where they can. They will also attack trade unions they see as weak in order to drive down wages and reduce conditions to those of the worse employers in the country. This is the time to build the trade unions and stand together for the conditions that we have won over generations or be picked off one by one.

Here in Hull we face immediate attacks from the council and it is important for all trade unionists to stand together and avoid sectarianism. Our members do not benefit from division. Only by working in unison can we defend our rights. UNISON urges all members to attend the meetings we have organised and to persuade non-members to come along and join up. We are only strong when we are in unison together!