The Council has said that it wants to make £2m of savings from its pay bill. Senior HR figures have been in discussion with Camden Unison branch officers to explain some of the potential changes they would like to see as part of what they call “pay modernisation”.
Management had suggested that they wanted to explore:
- increasing the standard working week with no extra pay;
- removing some overtime and preimum payments; and
- moving to performance-related pay for staff on SO and PO grades
These proposals would be a further blow to us, in addition to the job cuts we face and the attacks on our pension rights.
Subsequent to talks with the trade unions, management has issued a statement saying that if agreement was not reached on these changes, then they would not seek to impose them but push for voluntary sign-up. However, at the branch meeting on 13th December, George Binette (Camden Unison’s Branch Secretary) asked attendees to note that it would also be the case that new employees or existing staff changing jobs would be subject to the new terms & conditions if they were introduced since, by accepting a new role, they would be deemed to have accepted the new T & Cs.
In discussion at the 13th December special branch meeting, members said that they felt performance-related pay was divisive – as it pitted colleagues against one another. It also depended on appraisals being done promptly, accurately and fairly – something people felt was not done in some sections.
The meeting unanimously voted that they preferred to stick with existing (‘Green Book’) terms and conditions – and not to agree with management’s proposals for detrimental changes.
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