Council Workers Face Lock Out
Wednesday 27th October 2010
10,000 WORKERS IN RHONDDA CYNON TAFF COUNCIL FACE A
"LOCK OUT" IF THEY REFUSE TO
ACCEPT LOWER TERMS AND CONDITIONS
OF EMPLOYMENT
GMB is advising members not to sign anything and to
stand firm
GMB members employed by Rhondda Cynon Taff council in South
Wales have been threatened with a lock out by the council if they
refuse to accept new lower terms and conditions of employment.
GMB officers were summoned to a meeting today and told by Tony
Wilkins HR director that the council has issued a section 188
notice for all 10,000 staff employed by the council giving notice
of their dismissal and an offer of re-engagement on lower terms and
conditions of employment. GMB officers walked out of the talks and
are insisting that the threat of lock out be lifted before the
talks continue. GMB are advising all members to sign nothing and to
stand firm in the face of this threat.
The borough of Rhondda Cynon Taff is the second most populous
local authority area in Wales with an estimated population of
233,700. It was formed on 1 April 1996, by the merger of the former
Mid Glamorgan
districts of
Rhondda
Cynon Valley and
most of Taff-Ely and its name
reflects all these called after the rivers, Rhonda Cynon Taff.
The council is Labour controlled. The area has 3 labour MPs as
follows; Chris Bryant
(Rhondda), Ann
Clwyd (Cynon Valley), Owen
Smith Pontypridd) and
Huw
Irranca-Davies (Ogmore). The biggest town
are Aberdare, Pontypridd, Mountain Ash and Porth and the town hall
is based in Clydach Vale.
GMB members elsewhere have also been threatened with lock outs
by their employers at Birmingham City Council, Walsall Borough
Council, the London Fire Authority and Sheffield City Council. This
is the first Labour controlled council to issue this lock out
threat.
Gareth Morgan GMB officer said "GMB is aware that some
Tory and Lib Dem councils are treating their staff like dirt.
Councils like Walsall,
Birminghamand
Sheffieldare using a legal device of
pretending to make all their workforce redundant and offering some
of them re-employment on worse pay and conditions. Now Rhondda
Cynon Taff in the Labour heartlands are resorting
to this lock out tactic. It is totally unacceptable.
It's like holding a loaded pistol to people's heads to
force them to accept detrimental change or be out of a job with no
compensation. We have scarcely begun discussions and we face this
lockout threat.
GMB is well aware of the financial deficit facing the
authority and are willing to consult meaningfully on ways of
reducing the budgetary deficit of £20,000,000 each year for the
next 3 years. However this sort of gunboat diplomacy has no place
in industrial relations particularly when dealing with a Labour
controlled authority which is extremely disappointing to say the
least.
GMB has been made aware of some of the areas where cut
backs are expected to be made which include weekend enhancements,
shift pay, unsociable hours payment, salary supplements,
contractual overtime, retainer payments, bonuses and qualification
allowances all areas covered in part 3 of the Green Book NJC
agreement which are all up for discussion as part of Job Evaluation
Single status discussions. We are concerned that the
authority wants to go beyond these and attack the sickness scheme
and car allowances which form part of the National Agreement and
should not be affected by single status
implementation.
GMB will campaign to get this lock out threat lifted
before we go back to talks. In the meantime we are advising GMB
members not to sign anything and to stand firm".
End
Contact: Gareth
Morgan 07980 753130 or 02920 491 260 or John Philips 07980 753126
or GMB Press Office Steve Pryle on 07921 289880 or Rose Conroy on
07974 251823