Unite Viewpoint

March 2008 - Posts

• I&C Directive Not "French Style" Law

  Featured in the news columns of PersonelToday.com webite today is an article referring to the proposed review of the Information & Consultation Directive - with the eye catching heading: "French-style' staff consultation laws threatened by EU". No doubt to meant to strike terror into the hearts of employers by mentioning, France, consultation and the EU in one breath the review is already starting to get some employers frothing at the mouth. The PersonelToday.com article refers to "French-style staff consultation laws as part of an EU review into employment directives" and the Information and Consultation of Employees (ICE) Regulations are now under the microscope by the European Commission for being too "employer-friendly". The meat of the article is that some pre-exisitng I&C agreements were exempted when the Government transposed the legislation into UK law. The article says: "The EC said it would ask the UK government to justify this decision, and said it was prepared to launch legal proceedings to instigate a change". Philip Sack, director of policy at the European Study Group, told PersonelToday.com said that "this was bad news for UK employers. Many have set up new consultation arrangements that made use of the considerable flexibility given by the ICE regulations. The review could mean the UK moving closer to French-style works councils, where employers have to consult with staff much earlier and about all kinds of issues that could affect the workplace." David Yeandle, deputy director of employment policy at manufacturers' organisation the EEF, said the review was "an example of Brussels interfering in domestic matters. This is a classic case of one or two officials having their own agenda, and is worrying for employers," he said. What a lot of old tosh! The I&C Regulations were brought in to ensure employees became engaged in what was going on at their company and to avoid employees finding out about closures or job losses from the morning news (what are described as cornflake redundancies), or speculation in the press or at worse being sacked by text message! Having campaigned for tougher I&C legislation, Unite has examples of a number of "pre-existing" I&C agreements which were the result of companies "bouncing" their workforces into signing poor agreements before the legislation came into force. Some of these pre-existing I&C deals are near to worthless, and will hopefully, be replaced by proper agreements negotiated within the spirit of the law and for the benefit of employees and their companies. Study after study has shown that those companies who inform and consult with their employees and unions are more productive, more competitive and can adapt to change. The I&C Laws require employees to trigger the the procedure for the setting up of an I&C Agreement and requires that employers consult, inform and communicate with their employees on a wide range of issues that effect employment and the furture prospects of their companies. Whats wrong with that? Unite's experience of some "pre-exisiting" agreements is that they provide for minimal information, little consultaion and communication and some were deliberately structured to minimise the involvement of the workforce and their representatives. We have examples where some I&C Committees are stuffed full of managers or staff who the company thought were "safe" - ie: those they thought would not ask too many questions or will demand to know stuff about the company that employers would prefer not to discuss. In the long-run these agreements will prove worthless and we will be looking to roll these sort of agreements back in the future. Unite has been at the forefront of securing some excellent and worthwhile agreements, including deals recently struck with companies such as Communisis, Crown Manufacturing, Chespeake and others in print, papermaking, packaging and newspapers. Unite and the BPIF and CPI have model agreements which advise companies on how the I&C Agreements can and do work in the best interests of employees and their companies. There is nothing for good employers in our industries to be worried about, if they approach the legislation in a positive manner and engage their employees and Unite officers in discussions at an early stage. The Personel Today article goes onto say: "The review could also see consultation procedures become legally enforceable at the Central Arbitration Committee, which rules on ICE disputes. This would open up the possibility of more fines - currently up to £75,000 - being dished out to firms not consulting properly". Well, the law already provides for these fines to be levied against companies who fail to enact the legislation properly. Check the CAC's website and look at how Macmillan, the global publishing company were fined for failing heed the views of their employees and dodge around the legislation! So Philip, if you are reading this, the I&C Regulations review has nothing to do with "French-style" legislation or petty minded EU officials. It is about ensuring that companies look to the future, communicate, inform and consult with their employees properly. From 6 April 2008 the I&C Regulations will apply to firms with 50 or more workers. Unite has advised all chapels in the printing, paper, packaging and newspaper industries to ensure that they don't sign pre-exisiting agreements and that if they are asked to do so, to contact their local full time officers. Equally, should companies want to talk to Unite about the I&C Directive then our local full time officers have been fully breifed on the legislation and can help. One thing I did agree with David Yendale on was his advice that: "Employers should be prepared to review and adapt their consultation arrangements to make sure they comply in the future". Now that's what I call a sting in the tale! Posted Mar 31 2008, 07:03 PM by Tony Burke with no comments Filed under: Information & Consultation BPIF EEF

• TUC reveals Apprenticeships gender divide in survey

  The TUC have just produced a new report that makes interesting reading. It reveals that apprenticeships remain strongly divided along gender lines. The survey found that while more apprenticeship places have opened up for women in general, they still lag far behind their male counterparts in well-paid sectors including engineering and construction. The report, dubbed "Still More (Better Paid) Jobs for the Boys", found a fairly even proportion of men and women began apprenticeships in 2006-07, at 54.2% and 45.8% respectively - figures that have remained virtually unchanged since 2002-03. However, a paltry 1.3% of female apprentices have entered the construction industry, and only 2.5% have gone into engineering. Women apprenticeships are highest in childcare (91.1%) and hairdressing (91.7%). Frances O'Grady, TUC deputy general secretary, said: "Too many young women are being limited to apprenticeships in low-paid traditionally female occupations like childcare and hairdressing, and are unable to break into well-paid male occupations like engineering. "Low pay in apprenticeships happens much along gender lines. Women receive on average 26% less pay than men, so action needs to be taken now to tackle this divide once and for all. Government and, in particular, employers, need to take this seriously and make equality a major priority," O'Grady said. I can only guess that the TUC left the printing industry out of the survey - (I will try to find out!) - given the embarrasingly low number of registered apprentices of both genders in the Print industry. Still, I can look forward to the crys of some print employers moaning about a skill shortage in a few years time because of short-termism in training their staff and a lack of succession planning! Posted Mar 28 2008, 11:17 AM by Tony Burke with no comments Filed under: TUC Apprenticeships

• Dispute ballot at book printers Butler & Tanner

  Unite is preparing to ballot its members for industrial action at the Dorset based printers Butler and Tanner over the company's decision to change agreed terms and conditions. Negotiations between Unite and the new managing director resulted in a local agreement, however, this has now been overturned by the company chairman. Butler and Tanner, a key UK colour book printer, has given notice to end treble shifts, terminate a long-standing contractual shift change-over payment and has created a permanent night shift and weekend shift with lesser shift rates. Unite National Officer, Ann Field, says about the dispute that following the collapse of talks we have no alternative but to ballot our members for industrial action. "We will be giving our full support to the staff at Butler and Tanner who are defending their jobs and terms and conditions" - the Unite GPM National Sector Commitee has sent it strong support to the Chapel's at B&T. “To make matters worse, since we gave notice to management of our intent to ballot for industrial action, Butler and Tanner have stated that they will need to make 18 or 19 printers redundant as soon as possible. We will do everything in our power to protect these jobs." “We call on the management to endorse the agreement reached last week with the new managing director. This company has a rich 150 year history in the community and is an important local employer.” Posted Mar 27 2008, 09:04 AM by Tony Burke with no comments Filed under: Butler & Tanner

• Unite anger at WH Smith Boss's Bonus

  This from today's daily Torygraph. Retailer and news and magazine distributer WH Smith's have paid out a bonus of over £2million to CEO Kate Swann closing down the company pension scheme. Unite members working in the distriution arm of the company are rightly angry at this development and my National Officer colleague Ann Field expresses our view in the article. "Union anger over WH Smith bonus By Philip Aldrick Last Updated: 12:28am GMT 25/03/2008 Kate Swann, chief executive of high street newsagent WH Smith, secured a maximum bonus payout of £2.45m only after removing the staff's long-standing pension benefits. More from the retail and leisure sectors The retailer made a £2m annual saving by closing the final salary pension scheme to its 1,800 members last year, the report and accounts reveal. Had the scheme not been closed, the company would have missed the profit target under Ms Swann's three-year "management investment plan", set up in 2004. Kate Swann: her bonus would have been £120,000 lower had the pension scheme been left open WH Smith confirmed that her bonus would have been £120,000 lower had the pension scheme been left open. Ann Field, national officer at the union Unite, said: "She's one of a long list of company directors who have made their money on the backs of others. She's brought it to a new low, though, earning a bonus by destroying other people's pensions." The Retail Book Association estimated that a scheme member aged 45 on £380 a week would have amassed a pension paying £80 a week by 65. Following the change, they will get just £29.60. The decision to transfer staff out of the final salary scheme, which was closed to new members in 1995, also triggered an exceptional "curtailment" profit for shareholders of £10m, though this is excluded from the calculation of Ms Swann's bonus entitlement. Under the incentive plan she invested £475,000 of her own money in WH Smith shares and qualified for a maximum payout if earnings per share reached 29.3p in 2007. Last year's earnings landed right on the target price, granting her 717,778 shares issued at 343p. Had the pension scheme been untouched, earnings would have been 28.3p, reducing her award by 35,000 shares. Rewards under the "management investment plan" were complicated by Ms Swann's decision to separate WH Smith from its distribution arm Smiths News in August 2006. The pension changes applied across both companies and saved Smiths News £7.4m last year, its annual report shows. Despite the saving, Smiths News directors missed the maximum payout. Some 700 workers, apparently on better pay, were in the scheme at Smiths News. In her five years at the helm, Ms Swann has aggressively cut costs amid falling sales to improve profitability. A WH Smith spokesman said the pension scheme closure "was not a cost-saving exercise… it was to manage the risk in the scheme and protect its long-term future". But actuaries said longevity risk would not be affected by the changes as final salary pensions already earned will still cost more if staff live longer. WH Smith said it paid £282m into the scheme over the past four years to remove the £250m pension deficit. It is committed to a further £10m of annual funding for the next four years. However, Unite said the company had previously taken a "12-year pension holiday"." Posted Mar 25 2008, 05:35 AM by Tony Burke with no comments Filed under: WH Smith

• Derek Simpson : e-activist article

  For those who have not been able or not as yet downloaded the latest Unite e-activist, (see previous post) the press have now picked up on Derek Simpson's lead article from web based bulletin. So here is what The Press Association is saying: Union seeks support for families A senior union leader has accused the Government of supporting the lifestyles of the "wealthy and privileged" rather than hardworking families. Derek Simpson, joint leader of Unite, said more should be done to support public services and groups of workers such as agency staff. In a message emailed to hundreds of thousands of union activists, Mr Simpson said billions of pounds were being spent propping up the money markets on top of the huge loan to Northern Rock. "At the moment we are paying through our wallets and purses but if things get worse, a full-blown recession could mean paying with our jobs. "If the Government can magic tens of billions out of thin air for its financier friends, so it can also afford proper pensions, rights for agency workers and a fully-funded public sector. "The freezing of the credit markets, the collapse of Northern Rock, fears over the property market and plunging share prices are all failures of the private market system. "The private market system has never performed in the way its protagonists suggest. The more it is left to its own devices the more it exacerbates booms and slumps. Unite said it was mobilising its activists across the country to get involved in Labour to change party policy, warning that support was being lost because of its failure to deliver on core issues. "The Government seems to focus on supporting the lifestyles of the wealthy and privileged rather than hardworking families who want affordable housing, fully funded public services, job security and a decent pension in retirement," added Mr Simpson. For the full article "Who Are The Lame Ducks Now?" Posted Mar 24 2008, 10:16 AM by Tony Burke with no comments Filed under: Simpson

• More electronic stuff from Unite!

  You can download the latest Unite e-newsletter by going to: http://newsweaver.co.uk/amicus/index000247955.cfm?x=bckmHfV,b4DSkR95 This issue has news items on Agency Workers, Private Equity and how Unite in the UK helped a Thai union rep working for New Zealand owned SIG Combibloc win his job back after the company in Thailand had victimised him for carrying out union business. Posted Mar 21 2008, 03:13 PM by Tony Burke with no comments Filed under: SIG Combibloc

• Download a copy of "Getting Organised"

  Download a copy of the latest e-bulletin produced by Unite GPM Sector Southern England @ http://www.gettingorganised.info/ Click on "Spring 2008" on the left hand side of the page to download latest issue. I think you will find it innovative and an excellent way to communicate with members at local/regional level. Produced by Steve Atwell Unite Regional Officer and Unite activist (and graphic designerby trade) Don Dolby! Posted Mar 21 2008, 10:28 AM by Tony Burke with no comments Filed under: Getting Organised

• Union recogntion deal with Chesapeake Bristol

  With the Easter holidays upon us a bit of good news to end the week - this item has been carried on the PW website, but a chance to blow our own trumpet. Unite has signed a union recognition agreement with Chesapeake Labels Bristol site. The agreement covers all the print and production workers at the Bristol site - which is part of the USA based multi-national packaging company Chesapeake Group. Steve Smith, Unite Officer said: “This agreement brings to a conclusion an organising campaign which started at Chesapeake's previous site in Yatton. Since their move to Bristol, Unite membership grew to a level which gave us the opportunity to open voluntary recognition agreement discussions. The company accepted that the majority of the workforce wanted union recognition. “This represents a turning point for our members at Chesapeake, Bristol who will now have a voice at work. We now look forward to developing a good working relationship with the management to benefit all the staff.” Vernon Robson, National Officer for the Chesapeake group added: “Unite reps and members have done a great job in securing union recognition at the site. It shows that having a well run recruitment and organising strategy pays in the long run.” We are now in the process of electing union chapel reps and once concluded we will enter into local discussions to put together a local working agreement. Posted Mar 20 2008, 09:10 AM by Tony Burke with no comments Filed under: Chesapeake recognition

• Raising Expectations: Enabling The System To Deliver - DIUS Consultation

  The Government has launched a consultation document "Raising Expectations: Enabling the System To Deliver" aimed at reforming the skills agenda. As yet Unite has not had a chance to look at the consultation document in detail, or respond. However, the TUC has given an intitial reaction. TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'Many of the proposed reforms, such as giving local authorities a greater strategic role for young people, should help more employees get the skills they need. But with two in five workers still not getting any regular training at work, this organisational reform must not divert attention from the wider skills challenge - getting more employers to offer quality apprenticeships and training opportunities. 'It's vital that as well as meeting the skills needs of employers, more individual employees are helped to get new skills under these new arrangements. Unions can help to do this, both at a strategic level and on the ground, through the 18,000-strong network of union learning reps. 'The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has played an important role in supporting the Government's skills strategy in recent years. Ministers must ensure that the expertise built up by LSC staff is utilised in any future arrangements, without recourse to redundancies.' Given the dire state of training in the printing industry, all concerned parties in our industry should make their views known! The consultation Raising Expectations: Enabling the System to Deliver was announced on 17 March by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Children, Families and Schools. Posted Mar 18 2008, 10:32 AM by Tony Burke with no comments Filed under: DUIS TUC

• Assassinations And Attempted Murder Of Columbian Trade Union Leaders

  Columbia is the most dangerous place in the world to be a trade unionist. On March 7th, Rafael Boada, President of the National Union of Bank Employees UNEB in Bucaramanga region of Columbia was the target of a failed assassination attempt as he arrived home in his car. Two bullets fired from a motorbike went through his windscreen but mercifully missed him. Two days previously Leonidas Gomez Rozo went missing. His body was found in his flat in Bogota on March 8th having been brutally murdered. Leonidas was the chair of the national committee of UNEB in CITIBANK and a district union officer of the Polo Democratico which is the party of the left. These attacks follow a number of death threats against UNEB leaders since the paramilitary group Aguilas Negras declared trade union UNEB a military objective in a series of emails last summer. UNEB is the sister union of the Unite finance sector in Colombia. In early February Unite welcomed a UNEB representative to the UK from Bogota. He spoke to union representatives in HSBC as well as across the sector and at a meeting at the TUC organised by Justice for Colombia. His focus at the time was on a strike which took place in HSBC Colombia last October. Though a collective agreement has been reached since the strike, Unite continues to have concerns about the manner in which HSBC behaved in connection with the strike. He put the strike, and the role of the bank, in the context of the brutal politics of Colombia which is the most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists. It is intolerable to Unite that so soon after his return two of his colleagues should have been targeted like this. Leonidas’ death was the third murder of a trade unionist in a single week. We will not sit back and witness the targeting of decent, hard-working and courageous union representatives by paramilitary organisations. UNEB activists are at the forefront of the struggle for peace, reconciliation and democracy in Colombia and deserve to be honoured and protected. UNEB is demanding that the authorities in Colombia carry out an exhaustive investigation of both the murder of Leonidas Gomez Rozo and the assassination attempt on Rafael Boada so they do not go unpunished. Unite is asking what the UK government is doing to pressurize the Colombian authorities to ensure that its trade union activists can go about their legitimate activities without fearing for their lives. At the same time, along with Justice For Colombia, we are calling on our government to cease military aid to this corrupt and violent regime. UNI, our international trade union, has set up an email campaign directed at the Colombian president. President Uribe is without doubt deliberately fostering the atmosphere of violence against trade unionists in his country. Follow this link to the UNI site and add your voice of protest. http://www.uniglobalunion.org/uniindep.nsf/f0fa5a094742095ac125680000253538/449c5939f84d0294c125740b005754eb?OpenDocument For more information on Colombia go to www.justiceforcolombia.org Posted Mar 14 2008, 10:16 AM by Tony Burke with no comments Filed under: Justice For Columbia

• Unite Reaction To The Budget - and other stuff...

  Here is the main comment from our Union in relation to the Budget from Tony Woodley, Unite joint general secretary, "The chancellor had gone some way to tackling the issues of fuel poverty but he had missed an opportunity to levy a windfall tax on the excess energy company profits. "Of course we welcome the extra money for winter fuel allowances and the help for those on pre-paid meters but he could have gone further," said Mr. Woodley. "Those price hikes are going to go through from those private companies alongside their multi-billion profits." Mr. Woodley also expressed his disappointment that with the forecasts for economic growth and low inflation there was nothing in the Budget to indicate a relaxation on the artificially low public sector pay limits. "In the week that our low paid but high skilled defence workers have put in their claim for pay justice, we were listening for some positive news on public sector pay," he said. "There was none but we'll press the case for decent pay for public sector workers who contribute so much." From a print industry point this was a neutral budget. Despite this the BBC and media tried to whip things up into a frenzy because of the the Chancellor's low key approach (get used to it - he is boring). Nothing on training though and the statement on "one use" plastic bags is an issue that will effect companies and Unite members making these products. I attended the Unite GPM London meeting. A good turnout for a rainy Thursday evening with reps from print, newspapers, wholesale, Remploy and Ink making. Among the topics discussed were the BPIF agreement, the lack of apprentices in printing, rates of pay in Wholesale, the recent agreements in Ink making and for members working for paper merchants, agency and temporary workers and importantly, the current political scene with delegates critical of the Government's stance on Agency Workers legislation, housing and the recent statement by John Hutton, the Business and Enterprise minister that we should welcome extreme wealth and the huge pay gap between the haves and have nots. It seems we now have a Minister for Fat Cats! Posted Mar 13 2008, 11:24 PM by Tony Burke with no comments

• Earning and Learning at Nampak Leeds

  A joint initiative by Unite and Nampak Cartons, has seen the opening of a new learning centre for members at Nampak’s Leeds factory. The initiative comes as a result of Unite asking major employers to provide support and facilities to establish continuous learning centres inside workplaces. The new learning centre, officially opened by local councillor Angela Gabriel, will be the venue and focus for a range of vocational, health and safety and individual development courses. The centre will run work related courses as well as being used by the union to run courses for its members with the long term aim that the facilities will be made available to staff who want to further their skills by taking self-study courses in IT and, perhaps, other subjects such as languages. Congratulations go to Glenn Jackson, Unite’s FOC and union learner representative at the plant. He was one of the main champions of the project. Glenn commented: “Many people have put a lot of time and effort into making this achievement possible. This learning and training agenda, in conjunction with a working partnership between Nampak and Unite, bodes well for the company. All employees will be able to enhance existing skills and develop new ones that will influence, shape and strengthen the future of our industry.” Steve Campbell, site director at Nampak Cartons, said: “We take training very seriously. First of all, it is the key factor in making sure we have a safe workplace. Secondly, it means that our people are developed to their full potential, whatever their current job. This partnership with Unite is a really positive one and will enable more people to access more training.” Now why can't we get a similar interest in Learning & Skills fand training from other companies in the printing inustry? Posted Mar 13 2008, 02:54 PM by Tony Burke with no comments Filed under: Learning Centre Nampack

• Stora Enso Dispute In Finland - Latest News

  Salaried Trade Union, Toimihenkilöunioni, Places Stora in the Dock in Finnish Court Toimihenkilöunioni trade union in Finland has taken the global paper and forestry company Stora Enso to a Court of Law in Finland over a breach of the country’s statutes. The salaried workers’ union of Finland is holding the Nordic-based company responsible for violating the Act of Cooperation Within Untertakings, a 1978 statute and part of the country’s labour code. That is according to TU News, the union’s newsletter. The suit alleges that Stora Enso began unilaterally cutting back operations at its Summa paper mill in southeast Finland before statutory consultations with stakeholders had begun. This related to Stora’s harsh restructuring announcement in October 2007, in which the company said it would close mills in Finland and Sweden, and cut jobs elsewhere in Europe as well. Toimihenkilöunioni notes that the mandatory consultation process began in early November 2007, and ran until January 2008. Yet, Stora’s marketing team was told in October not to book any further orders from the newsprint and book papers mill, and the company cancelled all raw material orders then as well. The newsletter states that no 2008 budget for the mill was ever in planning. Union President Antti Rinne was astonished that the Finnish government, a sizeable stockholder of Stora Enso, was not informed of the company’s abrupt curtailments. The alleged illegal actions by Stora surfaced when Finnish Defense Minister Jyri Häkämies, the statutory head of all enterprise ownership, admitted at a union forum in Helsinki on 29 January that the government had not been given advance notice. A day later, Stora shut one paper machine at the 450-worker Summa mill, and then the next day – 31 January – the company switched off the mill’s other paper machine, effectively closing the operation. “During negotiations, it was no longer a question of a plan to close the mill,” said the newsletter, but it became evident in talks that “the decision itself” had been “implemented simultaneously with the negotiations.” Finland’s Act on Cooperation Within Undertakings is intended to improve work conditions and to further cooperation between employers and staff. Under Finnish law, the suit brought by Toimihenkilöunioni on behalf of its members, if successful, could mean pay-outs of up to €30,000 for each worker who was sacked. Posted Mar 11 2008, 08:26 PM by Tony Burke with no comments Filed under: Finland Stora Enso

• Unite GPM Sector bulletin 21

  Download a copy of the Unite GPM Sector bulletin 21 @ http://www.amicustheunion.org/Default.aspx?page=2957 Posted Mar 11 2008, 08:20 PM by Tony Burke with no comments Filed under: Unite GPM

• Albert Carr Dies Suddenly

  I am sure many people in the industry will be sad to learn of the sudden death of on Saturday 8th March of Unite Regional Officer Albert Carr. Albert was a full time Unite official who covered the print and packaging sector in the Birmingham and West Midlands area for over 15 years. He was aged 62. Albert was previously an NGA FOC at the Birmingham Post & Mail, a member of the NGA National Council, a full time officer with the NGA, GPMU, Amicus and Unite in Birmingham and the West Midlands. Albert was a dedicated FOC. When I first met him he was the NGA FOC in the origination department at the Birmingham Post & Mail. He was proud to be a full time officer of the previous print unions, Amicus and Unite. Albert always worked hard to look after our members in the printing industry, and was at the forefront of changes in technology that affected our members in the 1980s. All of his colleagues in Unite will miss him and we send our deepest sympathy to his wife and family. Posted Mar 10 2008, 11:32 AM by Tony Burke with no comments Filed under: NGA GPMU Amicus Unite