Update - 31st August 2010 - Barry Jarvis

There has now been in the region of 775 emails to the dedicated email address with thoughts, questions and suggestions. As you will have seen the first Q&A’S have been published and there are more on the way.

The email address will remain open for further feedback in response to the Q&A’S ETC. The project team will meet on several occasions over the next few weeks to consider all the feedback and move the project forward.

Update - 5th August 2010 - Jackie Robinson

Well, the 90-day consultation period relating to the harmonisation of the outstanding legacy policies, terms and conditions commenced for the majority of us on the 19th July 2010 and over a fortnight on from the consultation letter packs being issued, the response has been notably UNDERWHELMING!!!
Considering that at least half of the 4,000 or so staff employed by the East of England Ambulance Trust are operational and therefore likely to be affected by the proposed changes in some way, only 239 had submitted their views, comments or concerns to the feedback facility at harmonisation@eastamb.nhs.uk
Sadly, this is not an unexpected reaction; in fact it is a prime example of staff conforming to the Trust’s expectation that they will only express their displeasure amongst themselves rather than make any effort to highlight any opposition via a recognised and infinitely more constructive facility.
It is widely acknowledged that, 4 years on from the merger of the 3 legacy Trusts, full harmonisation of policies, terms and conditions is long overdue - an opinion expressed by staff for some time.  We also acknowledge that the impact that these proposals will have on individual staff will vary dependent on what your original legacy arrangements were and that not all staff will be adversely affected by the proposed changes; therefore negating any obvious  need to utilise the feedback facility. However, it beggars belief that when you consider the potentially high number of staff who would be adversely affected if these changes were to be implemented, that so few have actually bothered to make use of this facility. (*it should be noted that the e-mail facility is not restricted to submissions opposing the proposals – if you support some or all of them then you are perfectly entitled to share these thoughts with the feedback team as well)
The level of feedback received to date via harmonisation@eastamb.nhs.uk is in no way reflective of the level of discontent that staff are expressing to their colleagues or local, county and staffside leads who, to their credit, are pro-actively advocating the use of the e-mail system to register all views relating to these proposals. As such, the senior staffside would like to extend their sincere thanks to all the local and county reps as well as those non-staffside colleagues for their continued efforts in actively encouraging their peers and other colleagues to use the harmonisation e-mail facility as the means to have their say.
All the aforementioned recognise the effects that not registering views, concerns, opposition (or even support) to the feedback facility may have on our future terms, conditions and policies. A large number of them have even indicated that they are willing to assist staff with their submissions by providing support, advice and guidance if required. However, their colleagues should not confuse these offers of help as their saying they will do the work for them – because they are NOT going to be. This is about individual feedback and as such, we would have expected to have seen a proportionate level response.
Registering your opposition, highlighting your concerns/opinions or even seeking answers about specific elements of these proposals through the harmonisation@eastamb.nhs.uk facility will produce a evidence trail so that at the end of this consultation period, we can present the findings as a representational argument (for or) against these proposals. Without this evidence trail, the Trust will assume (and definitely argue) that the proposals have largely gone unchallenged and as a result, implement them. Then, when the inevitable happens and the affected staff start shouting about taking action, they’ll simply present the pitifully poor level of evidenced opposition as their grounds for implementing these changes
On the subject of taking action, there have been rumblings about registering collective grievances but staffside would advise that undertaking a grievance in relation to the current proposals at this stage would be futile and as such would not be supported by staffside at this point in time. Now, this response may well be viewed as unsupportive or even met with outrage from members and staff alike but ask yourselves what exactly you are raising a grievance about when nothing has been agreed as yet and the employer is actively seeking your opinion in relation to proposed changes?? This is not about staffside failing to support its membership, it’s about doing things correctly.
And on the ever controversial topic of support....staffside at all levels would like to remind members and non-members  alike of the importance of using this period of consultation as an opportunity to have your voice heard, to register your views, opinions, concerns  about the proposed changes to Trust policies and your future terms and conditions.
Despite rumours to the contrary, implementation of these policies as they currently stand is not yet a “done deal” – but it bloody well will be if you all sit back and let it happen without voicing your opposition. The importance of this feedback has been widely publicised and repeatedly reinforced by word of mouth and other communication mediums in the lead up to, and on into this period of consultation. This is your window of opportunity so use it wisely because staffside will not be accepting responsibility for unfavourable changes being implemented because staff didn’t bother to use their invitation to comment to best effect.
Short of personal incapacity, being away from any form of IT capability for the whole 90-days and/ or having a complete ignorance that a consultation process is underway, there is no viable excuse that we can think of for staff not submitting your views to the feedback facility which, in case you haven’t noted it by now is accessible at: harmonisation@eastamb.nhs.uk.
This is a jointly monitored address and it can be accessed via work and/or personal e-mail computers. If you have neither, then you can also access it via other external internet providers i.e. internet cafes, the library etc or you could even ask a family member, friend or colleague if you can use their e-mail server and send it from there. Submissions will generate an acknowledgement when read by the facilitators and responses to these submissions will generally take one of two forms; a) an individual response where a specific issue is identified that might only affect an individual or b) by way of a regular FAQ sheet where a number of like or similar issues are received in relation to a specific element and where the answer would be the same for several individuals
So, if you feel sufficiently aggrieved about these proposed changes then you should feel equally motivated to get e-mailing!

Update - 18th July 2010

The three proposed policys for change have been released for staff veiwing. Areas highlighted in grey are what we as staffside oppose or are in contention. Remember if you have concerns over their content, make sure you involve yourself into the consultation.

Proposed Terms & Conditions
Annual Leave Policy
Meal Break Policy
Management of Relief Staff Policy

Update - 9th July 2010 - Kevin Risley

As reported in last month’s newsletter, staffside has undertaken 6-months of intense negotiation with management on significant changes to Trust Policies and national AFC Terms and Conditions and have now reached a point whereby a period of consultation will be undertaken in order to allow staff to consider these proposals and express their views on them.

These are significant changes; the impact of which will vary dependent on what arrangements were in place in each of the 3 former Trusts. Therefore it is essential that staff familiarise themselves with the proposals in order to make an informed decision as to whether they support them or not.

By now staff should have received the consultation letters that the Trust have delivered to home addresses and which contain details of how and where to access the information relating to these proposals as well as details of the dedicated e-mail address that has been set up to receive any questions, comments and feedback that staff may wish to submit.

UNISON would urge staff, in the strongest possible terms, to use this feedback facility to have their voice heard

In addition to this feedback facility, 6 consultation events have been arranged at venues around the Trust that staff are encouraged to attend and as with the feedback facility, UNISON would urge all staff to make every effort to get along to one of these events.

Although the information relating to this consultation process will be available on the Trust’s Intranet site, the UNISON East of England Ambulance Branch will also be displaying the same information on its own website: www.eeas-unison.com

Remember…. in order to have your voice heard - you need to speak out - so have your say by using the feedback facilities that are being provided as part of this consultation process.