Friday 31 July 2015

Latest From Napo 73

Here's the latest blog from Napo General Secretary Ian Lawrence before he signs off for a couple of weeks. I don't know about you, but he sounds a tad defensive - I wonder why? I guess this is two fingers to the blog:-

"As I have consistently said since being elected as your General Secretary, one of my principal roles is to help to lead and direct the union, working alongside your National Officers and the Chivalry Road team within the accountability structures that are governed by our members."

Of course this bit begs the obvious question that the blog could be useful:-

"I often hear that one reason why people don’t use their ballot paper is because they don’t know the candidates. I always say: phone or email them and find out what they stand for."

I've heard certain candidates have been ignoring requests for information. Finally, I hear on the grapevine that members continue to leave in droves but:-

"we have issued an all members mail out this week which contains encouraging news about the status of our Direct Debit (DD) Campaign."
 
ITS TIME TO VOTE

If you are Napo member in any of the six Sodexo owned CRC’s you should have by now had a circular from Napo, together with an indicative ballot paper that you can send freepost or by e-mail to Chivalry Road (sodexooffer@napo.org.uk)

As I have consistently said since being elected as your General Secretary, one of my principal roles is to help to lead and direct the union, working alongside your National Officers and the Chivalry Road team within the accountability structures that are governed by our members. The other is to follow the direction of our members in terms of the strategy and tactics that you want me to pursue on behalf of your interests.

The Sodexo (is it severance or is it redundancy?) debacle, together with the failure of the company to respond to repeated questions from us to clarify their shabby and disrespectful offer, means that we are now asking Sodexo CRC members to give us a clear steer on whether or not we should move to a formal ballot for industrial action.

Reports reaching me from workplace meetings that have been taking place this week are encouraging in terms of what members are saying about the issues and the positive response to Napo and Unisons efforts.

Napo has acted entirely properly in trying to engage with Sodexo and their CRC senior managers and its good news that members are aware of what we have been doing and are supporting it. One thing is very clear already and that’s the level of contempt for the parent company amongst the workforce.

If you are a Sodexo member then please make your voice heard. We at Chivalry Road are the few, but our members are the many and we simply can’t do it all ourselves.

National Officers

If you are a Napo member anywhere then you also have an opportunity to vote in the current elections for the two National Vice-Chair vacancies.

Anyone standing for elected office at whatever level is showing their willingness to be out there, wanting to do their best for members. If they are prepared to do that then I would hope that those same members will spend just a few minutes and do their best to take part in the ballot. I often hear that one reason why people don’t use their ballot paper is because they don’t know the candidates. I always say: phone or email them and find out what they stand for.

Pay update and Mileage and Subsistence

We have just issued Branch Briefing’s covering these issues (Pay: see BR /83/2015) and will be sending out more news for members over the next couple of weeks.

The Mileage and Subsistence policy will come into effect from 1st August but as it says in BR/84/2015 it needs endorsement from the NNC and some accompanying guidance for staff and a Probation Instruction which ideally ought to be written in a language that we might all understand.

When the NEC gave it’s ‘in principle’ agreement to the final negotiated position earlier this year, it didn’t expect that all members would be ecstatic about it, but considered it was the best that could be achieved by negotiation. Nor did they expect that it would have taken NOMS several months to launch the policy and then spring it on the unions so soon to August. That they did so without letting us have sight of the guidance that it has also issued to managers is sloppy to say the least; and we were as surprised as anyone about the August start date, which we are told is out of their hands because they wanted staff to see the potential tax implications around the HMRC dispensation rules. It would have been good to have known that earlier of course.

Nevertheless, we have secured a commitment that the policy will need NNC endorsement and amendments to the NNC handbook, and that we should conclude discussions on those aspects by the end of August. Meanwhile, members are asked to refer written enquiries to Napo via their NEC or Branch Representatives whilst we are thinner on the ground than usual due to summer leave commitments.

Check off news

Finally, (and before I check off for a couple of weeks - anything but leisurely - holiday with five of my seven grandchildren) we have issued an all members mail out this week which contains encouraging news about the status of our Direct Debit (DD) Campaign. Its good progress to date, but as you can see there is still hard work to be done.

By signing the mandate to make the switch across and encouraging others to do the same (even maybe by volunteering to be point of contact for the Branch), you will be sending out a loud and clear message to other members that Napo are here, and working hard for its members in the face of a relentless agenda, and that we intend to be around for a long time yet.

Enjoy the remainder of the summer.

27 comments:

  1. In order to try and get a bit of a discussion going, I wonder if Barry could let us know what he's found out since he posted this on here?

    Barry Adams 26 July 2015 at 19:05
    I'm not sure what it is you are referring to....is this about the staffing budget. What's the question ? I might be able to help.

    Jim Brown 26 July 2015 at 22:23
    I have been reliably informed that there was a surplus in the staffing budget due to leavers and the surplus was 'divvied up' amongst other staff. Should be simple to either confirm or deny.

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    1. Jim member will know now that the ballot papers are out, that I am a candidate for Vice Chair. I choose to blog hear under my name as I recognise this is an important forum for debate and member have a right and should be encouraged to ask me questions. One or two members have emailed me and I have responded to them, Happy to engage with all ....hear or by phone or email ....
      You ask about the staffing budget and how this was divided up. .....this came up at NEC early this year and was dealt with under within the closed session. I was not at this meeting so my information comes from my talking to the co rep and other NEC member.

      As it is told to me ,,,,,that after some debate NEC instructed that the vacancy (after an employee left) should not be filled.

      At the same session a separate issue was the recommended of a 1% pay increase to Napo employees. Again after debate NEC instructed that any pay increase must be found from exiting budgets.

      So far so good ........at the next NEC meeting (which I was at) NEC was informed an employee had left Napo and our remaining employees had been given a 1% raise. This was funded by the saving made when the employee left. The remainder of the salary saving was then to be used for staff development.

      Hope this helps

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    2. So they worked around the NEC then by the looks. Thank you for the candid reply . Who actually got the extra money then ?why exactly did they get it? Why did the NEC accept this because it appears they have both a 1% pay increase this that will continue on the pay into next year and beyond. Why don't we have legal action then and stronger representation then also. Did the treasurer agree this then ? Who authorised the on year increases and current award ?

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    3. Thanks Barry for taking the trouble to come back here and give us more details, even if it inevitably raises more questions.

      Thanks also for recognising the blog and offering to answer other questions. This is a completely novel approach and much appreciated.

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  2. I've been asking around our area and it seems that staff are not up for striking: they don't have trust that they will be protected and that the unions will be able to negotiate a better deal. They don't want Napo to negotiate, they don't want Napo to strike, they want what they are legally entitled to and they want the unions to take Sodexo to court. Is this something that can happen? If not can we know why not?

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    1. Before you can go down legal ie Employment Tribunal route(cant go to Court with this) you have to prove you have exhausted all means of negotiation.Use of ET does not lead to immediate answer/resolution. ET agency also filter apps for ET hearings to weed out what they regard as weak cases. ie its not down to individuals or unions per se to define if can seek legal remedy on this dispute-ultimately down to ET panel if they accept you have "a case" to hear and then have hearing before Panel for the Panel to judge who is in right in the disputed situation ; not a quick process!

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    2. We need this officially from union legal team before decision date.

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  3. Any chance someone can send me the text of the Napo circular to Sodexo CRC's? Cheers.

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  4. Well said 18:51 ... the window for expressions of interest in Sodexo's punitive severance offer (albeit better than the CR rate) is but 2 weeks away. Surely an indicative ballot now, should it lead to industrial action, is too late in the day to be effective? So what is the Unions stance in respect of legal action?

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  5. Why stick your head up from within the crowd and get snipered off by the new CRC masters. Striking would be mad as cuts are inevitable. Come join Unison and leave napo as napo has no clout at a local or national level

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    1. Please do tell what UNISON has done for its members in both the TR fight and in this latest round of Sodexo riding rough shod over staff. PLEASE PLEASE - i would be delighted to hear.

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    2. Unison do not get caught up in that professional argument bullshit . That rubbish is what screwed Napo as a Union to busy looking after the frailties of the PO sensitivity . PSO get all but lip service . A union is for workers your going to learn what that means over the next few years you fragile delicate PO structure.

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    3. Oh yes Unison has done such a good job, TR happened, SODEXO is happening and Unison have and are letting it happen.

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    4. Looks to me that no PO should join Unison then......

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    5. Unison failed to act when it was needed. They needed to come out and strike with NAPO but failed to unite with us. Whatever gripes you might have about NAPO we did take action and we took the JR ahead. Unforunately many NAPO members have let us down by their "I,m alright Jack" attitude and failing to see the bigger picture.

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    6. 1041 error in your post surely you must realise it was the most disaterous strike call napo could have made ? The membership will mandate an action like chickens eat corn all clucking and pecking but just cannot fly. Mr Rendon on this and Mr Lawro in tandem and self goading pair having all the stage love ins we could stomach. Why they failed is because they never got solid support from other unions. Why they were naïve and all their foolish supporters and ex officio fan clubs who advised them badly no doubt was to take strike alone. By doing so they took us out into strike showing the government we are divided . It means defeated. We should have waited played the sensible long game. The Chair wanted a job in a CRC does that not tell us something of his judgement. He still did not resign. Lawro foolishly should have called a panel for the chair acting outside the interest of NAPOs Objects and Values. He should have gone that week . Instead it dragged out through the leaks and incredulous disbelief of a chair being so thick ! Members need to get real and demand a skill set not the mocking birds collecting a badge.

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  6. Man in the pub tells me NAPO membership will increase to £40 a month to keep the show on the road. This will be announced at conferance. Cheers to all the so called MEMBERS who left us to foot thevl bill.

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    1. As soon as I hear that officially I will resign NAPO .

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    2. Haha you cannot be serious, we are getting nothing for our subs now so why would anyone pay even more to keep ineffective people in a job. By the way, I'm sorry the G.S feels sorry he can't relax on holiday with his grandchildren for 2 weeks but it may help him understand how 600 staff can't relax knowing they will be unemployed before Christmas, how has he got the nerve to print such an insult. Time to go Mr Lawrence u haven't got a clue

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    3. Hi anonymous 1911.... This is not true .......I sit with finance sub committee and we have not, in the last 18 months I have been on the committee discuses increasing membership to £40.....hope this puts your mind at rest

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    4. I do not know what this has to do with finance sub committee ? Have the officers decided to raise the subscription ? They need a motion. Besides the membership will not vote for it . 1911 is just mischief plain and simple lets not take the bait readers.

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    5. Thks for info on subs Barry

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    6. Thanks for info on subs Barry from 1911. I had heard 38 but I rounded it off to 40... anyway, thanks for the clarity as 38 is steep for all members regardless of band.

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    7. Acos pay a lot more.

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  7. I think it is simpler than that. People just want it over with. What am I getting and when can I go. I am done with these Sodexo people and their bullshit.

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    1. The Conservatives have made no secret of the fact that they aim to finish off the Unions, especially the Public Sector ones - there has been no real organised campaign against that as so many workers have left Unions a consequence being we have what used to be called 'Home Helps' doing personal care, no longer employed by the Council's who have the duty to provide the care, getting paid very lowly and having to provide their own transport and frequently not being paid travel time.

      The Liberal Democrats did nothing to minimise such deplorable treatment of vital workers and even helped make it possible for the probation workers to have their Unions attacked by voting for the split of probation in every locality in England and Wales.

      The Labour Party's badly drafted legislation had enabled the Government to make that split and neither did they do anything to correct the damage the Thatcher/Major Governments had already done to the Unions.

      Trades Unions are not called 'Unions' for nothing - the sort of sniping at those the members have elected - or allowed others to elect - to positions of responsibility seems wasted energy and yet the Unions need to regroup if they are going to be in a healthy position to campaign against yet more worsening of the terms and conditions of those members contracts of employment.

      Of course those not in membership will also have their t & c.s diminished as well, I rather suspect the value of such diminishment will be more than £40.00 a month, even though that will seem a lot to pay. Maybe amalgamation NOW is worthwhile for Napo members if UNISON will have them, as it seems unlikely to improve matters to continue to have three separate Unions for probation workers.

      I seem to recall reading that mileage allowances for at least some probation workers have been, or are in the process of being reduced to less than what the Automobile Association calculates is the cost of providing a vehicle for an employer's use.

      The future seems bleak, there needs to be less than sniping and griping to resist the attacks that seem to be increasing!

      I am very, very sorry my opposition to the damage has been so ineffective

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  8. Regarding the expense issue - staff might want to read details first, there are changes to legacy trust policy but there is loads of provision to use public transport and hire cars at no cost to you. Please don't jump down my throat about local journeys and the reduced payment! The policy is fair for time away payment and is better than my shabby trust policy and much easier to use.

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