Secretary's Corner
February 2009
As many of you will be aware, the Branch
undertook a survey last month to ascertain the
members views on the management’s proposal for
future utilisation of the Ambulance Support Worker (ASW) within the
Trust. Members were invited to answer three set questions with the
additional option of adding their comments as well.
The Survey has now been completed and the answers and feed back have been collated with what appears to be an overwhelming majority of members indicating that the Ambulance Support Worker should not be utilised on a Front -line Ambulance with a Clinician. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to participate in this on-line survey, and the findings are due to be taken forward to the next ASW Working Group meeting on the 30th January 2009.
It is recognised that some members experienced difficulties accessing the Survey from NSC Trust computers, and this was immediately flagged up with both the Trust’s IT department, and our Information Communication Technology (ICT) Officer. The fault was found to lay with the Trusts internal IT Systems, as opposed to the Branch’s own. As it is our intention to conduct further on-line consultations in the future, we will be working with the IT department in the hope of preventing any system failures of this kind occurring again.
We are aware of some rumours currently doing the rounds that
all Annual Leave is to be cancelled throughout Christmas and the New
Year 2009. The fact is that, in line with the Annual Leave Policy point 9.1.4, the Staff Partnership Forum will be examining data and
reviewing the level of cover that was achieved over the Christmas period in 2008. Although it is absolutely right that we carry out this work,
the staff-side view remains the same, we already have an agreement in place that was signed up to by both sides when negotiating the policy.
This agreement clearly sets out the level of cover that will be allowed in 2009, and we would not expect that position to change.
At a meeting of the Dynamic Deployment group on the 26th January 09, staff-side reiterated our position that all standby locations need to be signed off, and agreed between local staff and managers by the end of March, we would not expect Staff to be asked to attend any sites that have not been agreed by that date.
It is with some regret that I inform members that we have had to take the decision to withdraw from our seat on the Trust board.
Until now we have been invited to the board table, but have been excluded from the ‘closed session’ where business, which is “not in the
Public interest” is discussed.
Despite our submission, that in the true spirit of Partnership Working, this facility had always been afforded to us in the former East
Anglia, and Essex localities, and had proven to be of benefit to both sides, we have continued to be excluded from these sessions.
We felt therefore that unless our attendance at these meetings were to be all-encompassing, then there was little point in us attending at all.
I will keep members informed if this situation changes.
A reminder that Nomination forms for Staff Representatives are coming in at a trickle. It would be of benefit to everyone, if all departments
could nominate a UNISON REPRESENTATIVE, or Departmental contact at the earliest opportunity PLEASE.
Version 2.2 | © EEAS-UNISON. All rights reserved.
