Posted on: 13 May 2025

SSE HYDRO REDUNDANCY PROPOSALS

Dear member

During the collective consultation meetings, we have been grappling to establish why SSE is proposing to make people redundant in Hydro.

• Whether the work no longer exists?
• Whether the work is reducing and the reasons why?
• What work will remain, who will be doing it and the geographical coverage?
• Can safety be maintained with reduced numbers across Hydro?

Getting answers has not been easy and we have not received the detail we and GMB members should have.

We have been told that things will become clearer during town halls and individual consultation meetings, but we remain unconvinced and will continue to pursue these questions in the remaining collective consultation meetings.

The company has an obligation to mitigate and reduce redundancies and tell us what work remaining staff will be asked to do.

Redundancy Terms

Progress has been made on improving the redundancy terms in negotiations with SSE following feedback from members on length of service payments. The agreed terms are set out below:

Pay in Lieu of Notice (PILON): A lump sum payment based on basic salary, calculated using either contractual or statutory notice period—whichever is greater. (Statutory notice is one week per full year of service, up to a maximum of 12 weeks.)

Statutory Redundancy Pay: using the set formula based on age and length of service.

Ex-Gratia Payment: Equivalent to three months’ gross basic pay, subject to the signing of a settlement agreement.

Length of Service Enhancement: as additional weeks gross basic pay based on length of service calculated as follows:

5 to <10 years - 2 weeks pay

10 to <20 years - 4 weeks pay

20 to <30 years - 6 weeks pay

30+ years - 8 weeks pay

Now that agreement has been reached on the redundancy terms individual consultation meeting will start.

GMB's aim is to get SSE to reduce and mitigate compulsory redundancies through amending the proposals, voluntary redundancies, and redeployment.

Short term cost savings undermine maintenance and safety and will cost SSE more in the long run. Redundancies in Hydro are not the answer.

If you're not yet a member of GMB you can join online at www.gmb.org.uk

In Solidarity

GARY CARTER

NATIONAL OFFICER

Posted on: 17 July 2024

2024 FINAL PAY OFFER - BALLOT RESULT

Dear member

The final pay offer ballot closed at 12 Noon on Wednesday, 17th July 2024. The votes have been counted and the result is as follows

73% to Accept

27% to Reject

We have informed the company that GMB members have voted to accept the final pay offer.

We would like to thank all GMB members for taking part in the pay survey earlier in the year and for voting in the recent ballot.

It’s important that you have a say, on your pay. It’s the collective strength of GMB members that enabled us to improve the pay offer a number of times during negotiations.

If you’re not yet a member of GMB Union, then you can join online at www.gmb.org.uk 

In Solidarity

Gary Carter,  National Officer

Posted on: 13 March 2024

Dear member

Pay negotiations with SSE took place on 6th & 7th March. These discussions followed on from meetings in early January. It would be fair to say that talks have been slow going and we have not made the progress we would like.

At the end of two days SSE had put a 4% one-year deal on the table. This was rejected by the joint trade unions as we believe this offer falls short of what GMB members want as a pay rise.

Further negotiations are planned for 19th April and in the meantime, we would appreciate your views on the most recent offer and want you would like see SSE put on the table in future pay talks.

If you are not yet a GMB Union member and want a say on your pay, you can join online www.gmb.org.uk .

In Solidarity

Gary Carter

National Officer

Posted on: 6 February 2024

SSE Pay Claim Update

GMB and joint trade unions met with the company in early January to discuss pay for the forthcoming twelve months. The joint union claim is for a substantial pay increase on basic rates and allowances for 2023/24, and improvements in other terms and conditions including storm and standby payments, and pension provisions.

The company came back with a three-year offer based on the CPI (consumer prices index) inflation rate for each April. This was rejected by the joint unions. Whilst the headline inflation rate may have fallen, this hasn’t translated into falls in the cost of living for GMB member, who are still feeling the impact of higher mortgages, rising rents, food, and energy prices.

There is still a large gap between what our members want and believe SSE can afford and the offers that the company has put on the table.

Further pay negotiations are scheduled for beginning of March and we hope that progress can be made during the scheduled two days.

We will keep you informed of developments.

If you are not yet a member of GMB Union and want a say on your pay, you can join online at www.gmb.org.uk 

In Solidarity

Gary Carter

National Officer

Posted on: 14 December 2023

SSE Joint Union Pay Claim 2024

Dear Member

Please see the joint trade union pay claim below.

Introduction

The cost-of-living crisis has continued to affect our members, with high inflation continuing to take hold throughout 2023. Inflation today stands at: Oct 23 RPI 6.1%, CPI 4.6%. The backdrop to these negotiations following on from a 3-year deal and intense and complex discussions which included pay progression, which for some members has seen years of non-consolidated payments. The message for up-and-coming negotiations has to be simplicity. In preparation to this claim all four unions have consulted with their membership to understand and shape the demands for the pay claim.

The Joint Claim

The unions submit a claim for a substantial pay increase on all rates of pay with a full flow through against a background of a protracted cost-of-living crisis.

The Unions are comfortable in discussing a multi-year deal if beneficial and appropriate protection against inflation is in place for future years.

The unions also seek to discuss improvement to the pension offering, including but not limited to, improvements to the DC pension offering including improved employer pension contribution, income protection insurance and the definition of pensionable pay.

The unions will propose improvements to the progression system reflecting on what we have learned through implementation.

The unions want an increase to storm and standby payments to reflect both the commitment of staff responding to these events and the increasing expectations of the regulator.

This simplicity is in order to maximise the pay offering to employees and members in these continued tough times.

Pay Talks

An initial scene setting meeting took place with the company on 8th December and negotiations with SSE will start 10th & 11th January 2024. We will keep you informed of developments.

If you’re not yet a member of GMB Union, you can join on www.gmb.org.uk

In solidarity

Gary Carter

National Officer

Posted on: 28 January 2022

SSE FINAL PAY OFFER & PAY PROGRESSION 2021 - BALLOT RESULT

Dear Member

The ballot on the revised pay offer and progression has closed and the result is as follows:

THE GMB BALLOT RESULT

Accept - 59%

Reject - 41%

We have informed the company of the GMB result and asked them for a timetable to make the back payments and implement the new rates of pay.

The GMB reps and I would like to thank members for taking part in this and previous ballots. It helped improve the offer.

Posted on: 28 September 2022

Dear Member

The Company and the recognised Trade Unions met on Tuesday, 27^th September 2022, to hold discussions on Cost-of-Living challenges and support available for SSE colleagues.

As agreed in line with the 2021 pay deal (applicable to Joint Agreement and Networks Contract colleagues), the negotiated annual pay award for April 2023 will be based on a CPI related formula at that time. Details of the formula are available on the Pay Progression section of the SSE HR Hub under Interim Advance FAQ.

The Company made clear that they will honour this pay deal based on what the agreed formula provides.

October Interim Advance of the 2023 Pay Award

With effect from 1 October 2022, colleagues will receive a 5% interim advance of the 2023 headline pay increase, consolidated within the current scale maximums and six months pro-rated non-consolidated (cash) payment if above current scale maximums.

Whether employees receive this benefit in consolidated or cash form, these are payments designed to help support colleagues, to some degree, in facing current Cost of Living challenges.

If the CPI formula for April 2023 unexpectedly drops to a level below 5% the Company will not claw back any part of the October 2022 increases.

The easiest way to show how this works is with an example:

Let’s say the CPI formula produces a 10% headline increase in April 2023. An employee with a £30,000 salary would receive an increase to £33,000 in April 2023.

By paying 5% as an interim advance with effect from October 2022 (paid in November 2022), the employee’s salary would increase to £31,500 from October 2022.

In April 2023, their salary will then increase to £33,000 as per the pay agreement.

We believe this is a welcome move, which will assist GMB members during this cost-of-living crisis.

Posted on: 14 October 2021

Dear Member

Since GMB & Unite members overwhelmingly rejected the pay offer / pay progression proposals the joint trade unions have had a couple of meetings with SSE and a JNCC meeting is scheduled for 3^rd November.

We hope that during these discussions we can make progress on the issues that GMB members told us were the reasons why they rejected the proposals. These were the target rate being below the top of the current scales, the level of the general pay rise and the freeze of the top of the scales.

GMB members also said they wanted to know where they would be mapped in the pay progression proposals.

We do not expect negotiations to be easy or quick, but we have a clear mandate from GMB members, and we want a better offer that sorts out GMB members concerns

We will keep you up to date as things develop.

If you are not yet a GMB member, you can join online www.gmb.org.uk or complete the form overleaf and return it to your GMB workplace rep.

In solidarity

GARY CARTER

NATIONAL OFFICER

Posted on: 14 January 2022

Dear Member

The GMB and other joint Trade Unions have had a series of meetings with SSE culminating with face-to-face negotiations on 2nd December 2021. Progress has been made in negotiations and we have got SSE to increase parts of the pay offer, increase the frozen maximum scales and offer more for those in Group 3. Mapping for pay progression has been released and people can see how it affects them.

We have not got everything we would have like to, but we have done everything to improve the offer and we have exhausted negotiations.

We are recommending the new offer because it delivers pay progression and it is a better pay offer.

If you reject the SSE final offer you must be prepared to take industrial action. SSE will not increase the offer through negotiations.

New Pay Offer Previous Offer

Year 1 effective 1 April 2021, headline increase of 1%. 1%

Year 2 effective 1 April 2022, headline increase of 3%. 2%

Year 3 effective 1 April 2023, headline increase of CPI inflation rate. 2%

with a minimum increase of 2%

Enhancements to Group 3 and Group 4 arrangements

Those in Group 3 will receive below Previous Offer

A consolidated increase of 1% in Year 1 (2021). 1% Consolidated

A consolidated increase of 3% in Year 2 (2022). Cash lump sum

A cash payment equal to the applicable Year 3 No Increase

increase (2023).

Those in Group 4 will receive below

An increase in the frozen scale maximum by 1% in Year 1 (2021).

An increase in the frozen scale maximum of 1% in Year 2 (2022).

An increase in the frozen scale maximum of 1% in Year 3 (2023).

(As in the previous offer, if you map to point 6, which is lower than your current salary, then your salary will still go up by the negotiated increase each year up to the frozen maximum. You will only get the case equivalent if you are paid at or above the frozen scale maximum)

Regions will now be balloting members in SSE. The closing date for the ballot is 27th January 2022.

GARY CARTER

NATIONAL OFFICER