Single Status Package Accepted by Branch Membership
Members of this branch have voted to accept the Single Status package.
4160 ballot papers were issued, with a 31% return.
864 voted in favour and 430 against. There were 4 spoilt ballot papers.
A 2:1 majority voted in favour of the package.
Implementation will commence on 1 August 2008 for calendar monthly paid staff and on 4 August 2008 for 4 weekly paid staff.
We are currently in discussions with the employer to agree the timetable for the priority reviews due to commence in September 2008 and to be completed by November 2008.
Single Status Briefing Sessions June 2008
Unison will be attending these sessions to answer your questions.
Please ensure you attend.
The employer has promised release for everyone to be able to attend. If you are having difficulty obtaining this, please contact the Branch Secretary, Colin Walton on 01782 232263. Otherwise, your questions and queries will be answered at the relevant briefing session.
Single Status – Employers Offer Regarding Equal Pay March 2008 – please download the latest flyer which refers to the Unison position equalpayoffermarch2008
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q – “Following the recent equal pay/single status payments offered to staff based on their employment status as of 1 March 2008, is the union prepared to fight the cause for those members of staff deemed not to be eligible. Payments have only been offered to those staff who are on point 25 or less of the pay structure. This excludes everyone on a level 6 or above.
No explanation of how this decision has been arrived at seems to be available from HR or consultancy. How can this be seen as equal?
Staff who have worked their way up through the scales over a number of years are now being penalised for having done so. Surely equal pay issues apply to all staff scales?
A – Please refer to the Unison position – on the downloadable statement above. This money is only being offered to those who the council consider could mount an equal pay claim at tribunal.
This is the third tranche they have done. They may review their assessment and consider some posts above point 25 to also pose a risk, then an offer may be made.
Q – This does not really answer my question. As a unison member will the union be prepared to fight the case for staff on Scale 26 or above?”
A – We are prepared to fight for equal pay for any of our members, whatever their grade but the proper route for that is through the tribunal if a case can be substantiated. What we can’t do is to involve ourselves with the employer’s offcer because it falls far short of the amount that could result from the legal process.
Q- In light of the recent press regarding Staffordshire County Council job evaluation process where it was revealed staff who had benefited with a higher JE score would be eligible for up to 4 years backpay, will the same apply to Stoke-on-Trent city Council staff on final completion of their own job evaluation process?
A – There is no provision in the single status proposal package to pay back pay similar ot the County. Stoke are only offering back pay to some degree to those who they consider would be able to mount an equal pay claim in the tribunal.
Q – As you may/may not be aware, the Stoke-on-Trent city Council, has to everyones surprise decided to give pay outs re Single Status not only to dinner supervisors and janitors but to other groups working in schools such as Teaching Assistants, NNEBs etc. This has come as a shock to the schools and parts of the Council who have only found out about it today after dozens of staff have received letters over the weekend! It is chaos.
I have discovered that I am one of the few members of our support staff who has not received such a payment! When I have questioned this decision I have been informed by HR that awards have only been given to people in “female dominated posts” – as an ICT technician and as most are male, I cannot be considered. They seemed baffled too.
I believe I am a valuable member of the school workfroce. I am furious about this blatent discrimination on the grounds of gender! Surely it goes against Equal Opportunities!
I know that the JCC/Teaching Unions have not been involved in this process and wonder where Unison stands on this ridiculous decision/if you are able to do anything about it?
A – Unison was also not involved (please refer to the downloadable statement which explains our position). This money is only being offered to those who the council consider could mount an equal pay claim at tribunal.
Q – “Thank you but this still does not answer my question about “male dominated roles” and Unison’s stance on the matter. This term was used by SOT HR to explain the sitaution re why caretakers and technicians had not received any payments as they had been told. As far as I am concerned this makes discrimination on the grounds of gender as well as anything else you would like to call it. Could you please let me know where Unisons tand on the use of such a category in relation to pay awards – I bet some of the female technicians are equally as pleased.”
A - Any person in a “male dominated role” would find it difficult to pursue an equal pay claim, the legislation for which was designed to address inequalities in women’s pay. Therefore as I said, you are not seen as a risk to the council because of the unlikelihood of your being able to pursue a claim and so, no “buy out” money is necessary.
Q – Single Status letters – the union should have sent out a statement before now on the letters everyone has received. I have my signing date on 6 March and have been unable to contact the uinion. This must be the position for many. I think you should send a statement out explaining in clear terms what is going on and the unions stance on the sitaution. Are you behind it, should anyone be worried about signing for the money? Are there any repercussions we should be aware of?
A – This question is covered by our downloadable position statement above.
Equal Pay Time Limit Rules
Vital information you need to know on time limits for submitting an equal pay claim.
Ensuring Your Membership Is Up To Date Should You Leave City Council Employment And Be Pursuing An Equal Pay Claim
In order for Unison to continue dealing with your Equal Pay case, you need to ensure that your Unison membership is up to date if you leave the City Council. You will need to be covered in one of the following four ways:
(a) You have obtained employment elsewhere in the public sector and are paying subscriptions to another Unison branch in which case you will be covered for the equal pay claim in connection with this branch.
(b) You have obtained employment outside of the public sector – in which case you will need to pay subscriptions by direct debit at the lowest rate of 30p per week to this branch. Please contact us for a direct debit form.
(c) You are currently unemployed but seeking employment. You are eligible to become an unemployed member of the branch at a cost of £4 per year for a maximum of 2 years. To facilitate this send your first years cheque for £4 to the branch made payable to Unison, with a letter including your name, address and membership number stipulating you wish to become an unemployed member to protect your entitlement to an equal pay case. If you are still unemployed after 2 years you will need to continue to pay your subscriptions on the basis of (b) above. Should you circumstances change, eg your obtain employment within the first two years you will need to proceed on the basis of (a) or (b) above. Please contact us should this occur.
(d) You fulfil the criteria for retired membership for a one off fee of £15. This means you are in receipt of a pension AND are not in any other paid employment AND are not intending to be. Please contact us for a retired membership application form.
Remember, the onus is on your to contact us once your circumstances have become clear to ensure your membership is kept valid.
Branch office – Telephone: 01782 236750
E-mail:ul-stokecity@unison.org.uk
Why Unison Gives You The Best Deal For Equal Pay Claims
| We don’t only take the easy cases: Each claim will be assess on its own merits by our Equal pay team. If you employer is not prepared to agree an acceptable settlement and we believe that your case has a reasonable change of success, we will take it up on your behalf. It costs you less. We can arrange to lodge a grievance and tribunal application on your behalf and investigate the merits of your claim – all as part of the benefits of UNISON membership. We don’t charge if you change your mind. As a UNISON member you have the right to decide at any stage whether you wish to continue once we have agreed to take your case. We have a team of experts dedicated to equal pay. UNISON has a network of staff, all committed to winning equal pay for our members. We employ specialist legal advisers and train all our representatives to handle equal pay cases. We also work with leading employment law firm Thompsons Solicitors We are the biggest trade union negotiating with employers and the government in local government, education and the NHS. We have represented UNISON members in most of the landmark equal pay cases taken in the UK and the European Court Of Justice. |
No-win no-fee lawyers only get paid if they win. They won’t take your case if it is too challenging or they won’t make much profit. No-win, no-fee layers can take a big percentage – between 10 and 25% of your back pay. There are no-win- no-fee lawyers who charge £160 per hour plus phone bills and other costs if you withdraw. No-win, no-fee lawyers get paid by the individual claimant if they succeed. They have no interest in your future job security or how services are affected.Their actions undermine trade unions negotiations with employers for fair deals on equal pay. |
And because we care about our public services, UNISON doesn’t make a profit out of your equal pay cases. All our efforts go into supporting you and our public services.
Single Status – Why Is It Taking So Long
Single Status – to be or not to be, that is the question? Despite all our best endeavours involving many hours of negotiations the package which would deliver single status cannot be presented to you for your consideration. Single Status To Be Or Not To Be
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