CRC Dispute - Latest 23

Thanks go to the Napo member for forwarding the following:-

Dino Peros, Chair South Southwestern Branch
Ceris Handley, Chair Western Branch

5th May 2017
Dear Dino, Ceris and Pen

Firstly my thanks to you and your Branch Executive and to those members in the Working Links/Aurelius Unpaid Work Service for their continued support of our negotiating position in respect of the proposed contract variations.

It has been disclosed to Napo in our discussions with the WL contract areas that staff within BGSW and DDC CRC’s, that it is the intention of the employer to seek to impose new job titles on all staff contracted to work in Unpaid Work units as has happened in Wales. My understanding is that contracted UW supervisors are to be re-designated as Case Workers as soon as the employers can either force the issue on staff or attempt to negotiate agreement from the trade unions.

Talks are due to take place this week on an agreed agenda which is designed to address the various issues around UW. These follow the NNC Joint Secretaries’ meeting at which the (then) NOMS contract manager was present and the subsequent JS determination which made it absolutely clear that an attempt should be made to reach a collective agreement to resolve this aspect of our wider and long running dispute with the company.

As you know, these issues are wider than Unpaid Work situation but the UW changes are currently dominating WL intention to drive ahead with their change agenda.

The unions will not be hurried or bounced into any non-negotiated arrangements impacting on the roles and job titles of our members and Napo is making it clear in the strongest of terms that all members who are affected should reject such changes and submit in writing their refusal to both change either their job title without consent nor to accept any contractual role changes.

We are aware that in fact the employers are already planning to publish the role changes without additional appropriate training or remuneration. The suggestion by the employers that staff should accept the revised job title but not actually deliver the new job description is nothing more than a ruse and the acceptance of a new title will be the first step to an employer driven deception of your roles. This cannot be appropriate and we are challenging this nonsense.

This will create confusion and further divisions in the fragmented workforce that cannot be good for service users, staff or beneficiaries We wait to see if this experiment can actually provide the number of staff that WL require to eventually drive out the existing job roles and conditions. In response we have said that we will enforce all the protections of the Staff Transfer and Protections Agreement if necessary and undertake to consult with the affected members over appropriate action should any staff become displaced unfairly and/ or inappropriately.

This letter can be shared with your members in the Unpaid Work service.

Yours sincerely

IAN LAWRENCE
General Secretary