Issue - meetings

(The Chair agreed that this matter could be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency under the provisions of Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972 in order for the Cabinet to be advised of the latest developments in relation to the industrial dispute.)

The Chair invited the Cabinet Member for Finance and Central Services and the Council’s lead spokesperson on the pre-start industrial dispute with the GMB Union, to present a statement concerning the latest position on the dispute.

The Cabinet Member reminded his colleagues that the Council had reached agreement with UNISON and UNITE trade unions, and with GMB drivers accepting the Council’s revised pay offer and returning to work the strike had effectively ended last month.  The domestic waste, recycling and green waste collection services had returned to normal across the Borough, with bulky waste collections resuming later in the week.  In that regard, the Cabinet Member placed on record the Council’s thanks to staff for all their hard work and extra effort.

Agreement had been reached with representatives from the GMB to return to ACAS, the body set up to help resolve employment disputes, in order to look at the future working relationship and to see if lessons could be learned.  This would have enabled a formal end to the dispute and the meeting was scheduled for earlier today.

The Cabinet Member explained that the Council had every intention of playing a full part at the meeting and officers had been asked to look at what the Council could offer to address some of the issues raised during the dispute.  He was sorry to report, however, that the Council had been notified yesterday by the GMB’s National Secretary for Public Services that its representatives would not be attending, on the grounds that there was no point to the meeting unless there was more money for the affected staff over and above that already offered.

In response to that decision and in the absence of any indication from the GMB of when or if it would be willing to meet to bring the remains of the dispute to an end, the decision had been taken that the Corporate Director would write to all affected staff today putting to them the proposals that were to be shared with the GMB at the ACAS meeting.  The Cabinet Member outlined the terms of the proposals, which from a financial perspective amounted to more than the standard practice of one year’s pay protection and also included a comprehensive development plan for staff and managers as well as an event later in the year aimed at bringing together senior managers and trade union representatives to build on the positive relationships that existed.  The Chief Executive had also been asked to advise all Members of the Council of the developments.