Some colleagues are coming under pressure to process appeal information in their own time. It is company policy that all work relating to MRS is conducted in work time. Claim it as flex or time off in lieu. UNISON will support you in this. Contact us if you are having problems in this regard.
Our branch has sent out ballot papers about action to oppose the cut in our redundancy pay. I strongly recommend that you vote yes to industrial action, including strike action, because the alternative is that the employer walks all over us. They have told the union that this is not negotiable. There is clearly a massive wave of cuts coming. Connexions is only the start. The fight over redundancy pay is part of the fight to defend jobs and services. The pay we lose going on strike will be small compared to the loss of our jobs. Big cuts are central to the policies of this government, they go far beyond the '1% efficiency savings' which they spoke of in their election campaign.
Now is the time to ask colleagues to join UNISON. Many new members have joined up in the last few weeks because of the threat we are under. You may wish to consider becoming a steward for your own section. If you would like a workplace meeting to discuss the proposed changes to redundancy pay more fully, please contact the UNISON office or the senior steward in your area.
Don't forget UNISON and the PCS (Public and Commercial Services Union) have called a public meeting to oppose cuts. This meeting will be held at Norwich City Hall, Wednesday September 8th at 7pm.
I always value your feedback.
- Ed Bober, UNISON Steward
Official blog of the Norfolk County Branch of UNISON, the Public Sector Trade Union.
Showing posts with label Modern Reward Strategy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Modern Reward Strategy. Show all posts
Thursday, 26 August 2010
Friday, 13 August 2010
MRS Appeal Info
Now that we have a collective agreement with management, there will be some changes to your pay and conditions. This is universal for all employees of Norfolk County Council and will have been detailed in your MRS letters. If your grade has increased due to MRS , then you may be entitled to back pay, payable from the implementation date of 1/4/07. This will be paid in a lump sum and taxed at a special rate which is less than if the compensation was paid with tax and national insurance at the usual rate.
The arrangements for voluntary retirement have also changed. If an employee has been employed since 31/3/07, are over the age of 60 years, are a member of the Local Government Pension scheme and are due a compensation payment, they can choose to retire between November 09 and 31st March 10 and keep their right to compensation payments. This payment will be subject to tax in the usual way and will be added to their pension contributions. This is an opportunity for anyone who was considering leaving after MRS had been paid to leave now at no loss to themselves. If you choose stay until implementation your compensation will have deductions made at the special rate but will not be reflected in your pension.
At the moment, NCC are asking anyone who thinks that they have an appeal against their grade awarded under MRS to register an appeal. Norfolk County Council have just issued information and advice on how to appeal. It is available through the website (as above) or from your Manager. If you are a Unison member , advice is obtainable from the UNISON office, 01603 222384.
- Alison Birmingham, ASSD Senior Steward
The arrangements for voluntary retirement have also changed. If an employee has been employed since 31/3/07, are over the age of 60 years, are a member of the Local Government Pension scheme and are due a compensation payment, they can choose to retire between November 09 and 31st March 10 and keep their right to compensation payments. This payment will be subject to tax in the usual way and will be added to their pension contributions. This is an opportunity for anyone who was considering leaving after MRS had been paid to leave now at no loss to themselves. If you choose stay until implementation your compensation will have deductions made at the special rate but will not be reflected in your pension.
At the moment, NCC are asking anyone who thinks that they have an appeal against their grade awarded under MRS to register an appeal. Norfolk County Council have just issued information and advice on how to appeal. It is available through the website (as above) or from your Manager. If you are a Unison member , advice is obtainable from the UNISON office, 01603 222384.
- Alison Birmingham, ASSD Senior Steward
MRS Principles
The Modern Reward Strategy (MRS) has split the workforce into winners and losers. Of course all of us welcome wage rises for those who have been underpaid too long. We also want a united workforce.
In contrast to the official spin of the employer, many colleagues have told me how upset, angry, demoralised and worried they are by MRS. The purpose of a trade union is to protect all its members from any threat of a cut in living standards.
There are women workers earning less than £15,000 a year facing a pay cut in the name of the Equal Pay Act. There are other colleagues who face wage cuts of over £6000 a year, for some this will mean losing their homes. The union branch is at last taking steps to oppose this.
Over two thousand NCC colleagues face a cut in pay through MRS. Others face reduction in Saturday working and loss of car allowance. Others, even if making a small gain now, find themselves at the top of a scale with no prospect of progression in future years. There are many reasons to oppose MRS.
Workers in some other councils, for example Greenwich, have won single status deals which involved no pay cuts. They did this by making a united stand and threatening industrial action. Where unions have not been so bold, single status deals have been a major disaster, leading to over 200,000 local authority workers facing wage cuts all around the country. Unfortunately Unison national office have not publicised the many heroic attempts by workers to resist such humiliation. See http://www.labouruniondigest.org.uk/index.php?page_id=13
It is my belief that the branch should now completely dissociate itself from MRS. Our website still carries material showing MRS as a joint proposal between Unison and NCC. In my opinion it is wrong to continue to display this. We should dispense with any impression that we are party to MRS.
On the matter of imposition, our branch is now preparing to take industrial action in hot spots, with the possibility of a work to rule over wider sections of the workforce should Norfolk County Council attempt to impose MRS on members against their will. I welcome this response from the branch. All members who have expressed their disgust with MRS have played a part in making this happen and there is much more to be done requiring your involvement. We need to reclaim this union for its members. There remains a big risk that some members could be isolated.
NCC are threatening to sidestep collective bargaining, thereby undermining the union. If this happens then in any future scenario needing action or negotiation the unions’ position will be severely weakened. Those individuals who choose to agree to accept individually now may find that when they need a strong union at some future date it will not be there. By so agreeing they will be exchanging short term benefit for long term loss of union strength and reliability. The principle of collective bargaining must be upheld.
- Ed Bober, UNISON steward
In contrast to the official spin of the employer, many colleagues have told me how upset, angry, demoralised and worried they are by MRS. The purpose of a trade union is to protect all its members from any threat of a cut in living standards.
There are women workers earning less than £15,000 a year facing a pay cut in the name of the Equal Pay Act. There are other colleagues who face wage cuts of over £6000 a year, for some this will mean losing their homes. The union branch is at last taking steps to oppose this.
Over two thousand NCC colleagues face a cut in pay through MRS. Others face reduction in Saturday working and loss of car allowance. Others, even if making a small gain now, find themselves at the top of a scale with no prospect of progression in future years. There are many reasons to oppose MRS.
Workers in some other councils, for example Greenwich, have won single status deals which involved no pay cuts. They did this by making a united stand and threatening industrial action. Where unions have not been so bold, single status deals have been a major disaster, leading to over 200,000 local authority workers facing wage cuts all around the country. Unfortunately Unison national office have not publicised the many heroic attempts by workers to resist such humiliation. See http://www.labouruniondigest.org.uk/index.php?page_id=13
It is my belief that the branch should now completely dissociate itself from MRS. Our website still carries material showing MRS as a joint proposal between Unison and NCC. In my opinion it is wrong to continue to display this. We should dispense with any impression that we are party to MRS.
On the matter of imposition, our branch is now preparing to take industrial action in hot spots, with the possibility of a work to rule over wider sections of the workforce should Norfolk County Council attempt to impose MRS on members against their will. I welcome this response from the branch. All members who have expressed their disgust with MRS have played a part in making this happen and there is much more to be done requiring your involvement. We need to reclaim this union for its members. There remains a big risk that some members could be isolated.
NCC are threatening to sidestep collective bargaining, thereby undermining the union. If this happens then in any future scenario needing action or negotiation the unions’ position will be severely weakened. Those individuals who choose to agree to accept individually now may find that when they need a strong union at some future date it will not be there. By so agreeing they will be exchanging short term benefit for long term loss of union strength and reliability. The principle of collective bargaining must be upheld.
- Ed Bober, UNISON steward
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