 Campaign
to defend terms and conditions
Update 8th Feb 2012
Branch to ballot members on council's pay cut plans
The branch, along with the other trade unions is balloting members
on Aberdeenshire Council's plans to slash the terms and conditions
of its workers.
Ballot papers and a members' briefing will be sent out
from 8th Feb. If you don't receive a ballot paper please contact
the UNISON Resource Centre on 01224 620624 and request one. Only
UNISON members may vote in the ballot.
UNISON, GMB, UCATT and UNITE have all condemned the council's
proposals and we are calling on our members to reject these in
the consultative ballots that each union is holding.
Click
here to see Joint Union Press Release
Branch Meetings on changes to Terms and
Conditions
The Branch has organised a series of meetings throughout Aberdeenshire
and will ballot members on their views of the changes. Please
come along and find out how these cuts to terms and conditions
will affect you and what you can do to stop them.
- Mon 13th February Council Chamber, Gordon House, Inverurie
12 noon to 2pm
- Mon 13th February Council Chamber, Viewmount, Stonehaven
10am to 12 noon
- Mon 13th February Committee Room 5, Woodhill House,
Aberdeen 4.30pm to 6pm
- Tues 14th February Macduff Town Hall, Macduff 12 noon
to 2pm
- Wed 15th February Council Chamber, Arbuthnot House,
Peterhead 12 noon to 2pm
- Thurs 16th February Council Chamber, Gordon House,
Inverurie 4.30pm to 6pm
- Friday 17th February Committee Room 5, Woodhill House,
Aberdeen 12 noon to 2pm
Tea, Coffee and Biscuits will be provided.
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Some staff set to face big pay cuts
 Inez
Teece, UNISON Branch Secretary said, "These cuts will affect all
staff but the biggest impact will be felt by low paid, predominantly
female, workers in front line jobs who rely on the unsocial hours
enhancements and overtime to make a living wage in the most expensive
part of Scotland to live. These are the very people who deliver
essential front line services, often to our most vulnerable citizens.
"Now that our members have seen these proposals they are very
worried. Many are telling us that they will lose up to a fifth
of their pay if they go through.
"One of our members who works 30 hours a week, including two
weekends out of three, as a domestic in a care home providing
care for our vulnerable older people has worked out that she will
lose around £1,600 out of a pay of just over £12,000 a year. That
is a pay cut for the council's poorest paid staff of around 13%.
"Another member who works as an Assistant Manager stands to lose
£6,000 from a salary of around £30,000. That is one-fifth of her
income gone. That can't be right," Inez added.
"And this is on top of the real terms pay cut of around 10% over
the last two years as a result of the pay freeze combined with
inflation and the ever increasing cost of living."
Proposals discriminatory
 Kate
Ramsden, Branch Chair added, "We believe that these proposals
are discriminatory, particularly against low paid women. However,
despite our requests, the council has not provided the trade unions
with detailed information on the impact on particular groups,
or the amount of savings that each proposal represents."
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Update 28th Jan 2012
Branch calls on members to reject council's "unjustified"
attacks on terms and conditions
The Branch has condemned Aberdeenshire Council's plans to
slash the terms and conditions of their workers. They have warned
that the proposed changes will affect all staff but the council's
plans to cut overtime and unsocial hours payments will hit low
paid, mainly women workers hardest. UNISON has joined with GMB,
UCATT and UNITE to call on members to reject the council's proposals
in their entirety.
Click
here to see the Joint union press release issued on 30th Jan
Low paid hardest hit
Inez Teece, Branch Secretary said, "We believe the council's
proposals on changes to Terms and Conditions go too far at a time
when workers are also suffering the effects of pay freezes and
job reviews.
"These proposals affect all staff but disproportionately
affect low paid workers and we are calling on members to reject
the proposals.
She added, "We are particularly concerned that the biggest impact
of these draconian cuts to terms and conditions will be felt by
low paid, predominantly female, workers who rely on the unsocial
hours enhancements and overtime to make a living wage, in the
most expensive part of Scotland to live.
"The council's own estimates show that some of our lowest paid
members could lose up to 18% of their take home pay under these
plans. And this is on top of the real terms cut of around 10%
over the last two years, as a result of the pay freeze combined
with inflation and the ever increasing cost of living."
Unfair, unnecessary and unjustified
Kate Ramsden, Branch Chair added, "We believe that these proposals
are unfair, unnecessary and unjustified. The Council says they
will save £5 million after 4 years. However, the council has already
made savings of £5 million this year, on the back of our members
who have carried on providing services to the people of Aberdeenshire
whilst dealing with the stress of service reviews, job regradings
and job loss, redeployments and vacancy control. We say, enough
is enough!"
She warned, "The Council says that evening and weekend working
is now regarded as part of the normal working week and therefore
shouldn't attract any special payments. We do not accept this.
"The worst employers in the retail and care sectors give no recognition
to the disruption to family and social life through working unsocial
hours to provide essential services. But Aberdeenshire Council
says it wants to be an exemplary employer of choice. It shouldn't
be seeking to ape the worst employers - it should be setting the
standard for all employers in Aberdeenshire."
Reject the proposals
Inez added, "Think about the staff that provide services
over 7 days a week and 24 hours a day, including care staff, refuse
staff, the roads workers that keep our roads gritted throughout
the Winter, and many more low paid staff. They will see their
wages decimated by these proposals. That is a step too far for
anybody.
She added, "Even if you believe they don't affect you now,
in the future you may rely on one or more of these conditions
to help maintain your income," she added, warning that there
is no need for these drastic cuts, which attack all staff but
hit low paid workers hardest.
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