October 2019 UNISON West Sussex Branch newsletter • www.unisonwestsussex.org.uk UNISON’s 2020 pay claim submitted We want 10% pay rise, more leave and shorter working week. See page 2 WSCC Ofsted and HMI reports: our response See pages 4–5 SEE INSIDE Local pay 3 • WSCC’s £28m cuts 6 • Legal support 7 • Executive turnover 8 • WSCC probation policy 9 • Schools section 14 • HE & FE reports 17 Overpayments 18 • LGBT+ officer19 • Numeracy help 19 • Young members’ officer 20 2 For fairness. For you. Join UNISON. In this edition explain the problems we’ve We outline our concerns for we tackle faced supporting members’ the new probation policy some of local pay awards. There’s a and share the positive role the major summary of our response to we’ve had in supporting issues facing the council’s poor statutory job evaluation for further members at inspection results in both education members. WSCC and children’s and fire & rescue I hope you enjoy this issue. other employers. We share services, and a report on Dan Sartin, the details of UNISON’s the council’s disciplinary Branch Secretary NJC pay claim below and processes and their delays. UNISON’s 2020 NJC pay claim proposal submitted UNISON NJC (national joint committee) reps met in the summer to consider feedback on its recommendation for the 2020/21 NJC pay claim. The committee had 2010. Funding for this stamp duty – costing consulted members pay rise must come from approximately £23bn; via branches on the central government and • he’s also pledged to following proposal: it must be new money. increase spending on • 10% pay rise or £10 per The claim must not be education and policing hour minimum hourly funded through councils costing over £2bn (though rate on all pay points, further cutting employees’ this would only go whichever is greater; conditions of employment. some way to reversing • an extra day’s government cuts made The government says there annual leave; over the last decade). is no magic money tree • a two-hour reduction and yet they have found: Clearly there is money in the standard • approximately £4.2bn available, but it is a working week; and to spend on no-deal political choice made by • a comprehensive joint Brexit preparations since the government on how national review of 2016 (£1.5bn of it in the and where to spend it. the workplace causes 2018-19 tax year alone); of stress and mental Thanks go to members in • approximately £1bn of health throughout the West Sussex branch new funding for Northern local authorities. who completed our pay Ireland because of the consultation survey on the There was 94% support government’s supply and claim. These are early days for the committee’s confidence arrangement for the claim, but we’ll keep recommendation (81% with the DUP; members up to date with in West Sussex), so it was • PM Johnson has already progress on negotiations. taken forward by UNISON. pledged tax cuts for those Is the claim affordable? earning over £80,000 Councils have suffered a year plus changes to cuts of nearly 50% since national insurance and www.unisonwestsussex.org.uk BRANCH LINES 3 Local pay update Members on local pay at WSCC (HAY, AfC/public health and SMG4 contracts) will recall the debacle of the 2018-19 pay process and how UNISON played an important role in the eventual offer of a sensible pay award. UNISON was on the cusp of running a way the union is involved in council consultation exercise with all staff, on bargaining and negotiation could be behalf of the union and the council, to degraded. UNISON has had to take establish consent for UNISON taking this threat seriously. The branch is on collective bargaining for all staff for taking advice from our national office. pay in future when permission for this We are also discussing a new, wider was pulled at the eleventh hour by the ‘recognition and facility time agreement’ chief executive. He claimed UNISON with the council, which could, if agreed, was no longer acting in a spirit of resolve the issue of local pay bargaining “partnership, openness and transparency” positively. However, there are a number following concerns we had raised about of sticking points in negotiations so the council’s handling of its Ofsted far, which make it unclear whether inspection. We have kept members agreement can be reached. If it cannot, informed throughout via our website. UNISON will have an important decision The offer for 2019-20 from WSCC to take – with our members – on was therefore not managed through whether we use the statutory route. collective bargaining, but was – with the The current situation we can assure 2018-19 process in mind – a reasonable members reflects only on the unique offer for which UNISON recommended circumstances at West Sussex. Other acceptance. 99% of members agreed councils do not face these quandaries to accept the offer, and 96% agreed and obstacles. We are working as UNISON should push for statutory hard as we can to overcome them, recognition so that UNISON could use but the negotiating terrain is uniquely legal routes available to take on the difficult here. We believe however collective bargaining role for future years. that UNISON has played a key role in When UNISON raised the prospect of securing a 4% pay increase without using the statutory recognition process, links to performance over these past we were told by the chief executive that two years. We will keep members doing so could have consequences for informed of next steps and seek UNISON members in other ways, as the input to related decision-making. 4 @UnisonWSx www.facebook.com/unisonwsx Children’s Ofsted inspection – latest UNISON is raising issues for members with the conditions of the the acting director of children’s services John retention payments after Readman at our monthly meetings. most staff had signed up UNISON is monitoring which moving to CFW roles; to them, in respect of what of these are being addressed – we raised the is owed and over what and will escalate accordingly: prospect of increase period if you voluntarily • UNISON wishes to see apprenticeship reduce your hours, and a ‘wellbeing’ strand to and in-house social this should be reviewed; the improvement plan, work training; • we requested individual repayment plans to drawing from the council’s • despite improvements be negotiated, when recent wellbeing survey; in recruitment and staff have to leave • that there should also be retention, not all teams through unexpected a focus on non-qualified are benefitting equally circumstances, rather staff and efforts to retain from this and we have than staff being placed and motivate them; raised this for teams in a dangerous position – we re-raised the who are struggling with of having no wages at prospect of career major vacancy gaps; pathways for CFWs (child all in their last three • IPEH (integrated and family workers) months of employment; prevention and early from Grade 7, through • we raised issues of the help) is still awaiting 8 and 9. UNISON first lack of parking permits firm proposals and the raised this with Annie for some new staff in uncertainty is causing MacIver and in response Horsham and asked stress and anxiety. CFWs were promised this be resolved; action on this, but Retention payments • we asked for a review of nothing has happened; UNISON continues to have the suggested position – we raised the issue of unaddressed concerns: that staff not signing up family aides and their • it was wrong to change to retention payments UNISON at FRS Select Committee The council’s fire & rescue service (FRS) has been about the poor HMI rated by her majesty’s inspectorate (HMI) as ‘requires report and the corporate- improvement’ in 2 of 3 key areas (‘effectiveness’ and wide issues causing ‘efficiency’), and as ‘inadequate’ in the third – ‘people’. problems for all WSCC services, not just FRS. It was the only FRS to be is inadequate in the way it Dan expanded on judged so poorly in this protects the public through the following themes latter category in the whole fire regulation and in the which the HMI inspection country. As HMI said: way it ensures fairness had picked up on: “We have concerns and promotes diversity.” • failure to listen to staff about the performance of Branch secretary Dan (or trade unions); West Sussex FRS in keeping Sartin spoke to councillors • staff disconnect from people safe and secure. It at the FRS select committee the council’s ‘values www.unisonwestsussex.org.uk BRANCH LINES 5 could be stripped of IT (lateness of laptops), direction within the service. their free parking; mileage, excessive • lifelong services as a • we asked that staff time spent resolving project has run out of not signing up for the support issues; steam, and is destabilising payments not be quizzed • WSCC pushing ahead for no apparent purpose; in a personal and intrusive with this will perpetuate • the long-awaited training way as to why they were a loss of trust between package for foster not. We have been unable staff and management; carers is delayed; to secure management’s • managers do not wish • members say change is agreement to stop this to be responsible for expected at the bottom – so if you are affected pay cuts of staff, and are but there is little evidence please get in touch. very concerned about of change at the top or of the top taking their Interest-free loans the counter-productive share of responsibility UNISON has raised concerns impact it will have on and making the long- about the creation of a new relationships within teams.