Secretary's Corner
Kevin Risley is the elected Branch Secretary and oversees the operations of this UNISON branch. An experience union activist, Kevin's vast role within the branch is a full time one.
He is supported by senior union officials Barry Jarvis, Jackie Robinson and Frank Ward, who serve as Divisional Secretaries and together make a formidable leadership team for the EEAS-UNISON branch.
The various published news articles from the Branch Secretary can be found below.
For local information from your local Divisional Secretary, click on your region below.
August
August
In this month’s edition I would like to give just a few highlights on SOME
of the current activity that the branch is undertaking on your behalf.
As I am sure you are all aware by now following the democratic ballot of the membership,
the three year Pay deal was accepted, however this branch along with the Regional
Health Committee has written requesting that the Service Group Executive activate the
re-opener clause as part of the agreement for year 2 in view of the sharp increase in inflation.
Also on Terms and Conditions UNISON has won an increase to the AFC mileage rates, please see the website for full details. At this years National Conference it was agreed that Unison’s 13 week rule on when new members can start to receive ‘full benefits’ has been reduced to 4 weeks even more reason to join.
The latest decision by the Trust management on the issue of the Annual Leave policy, is that there will be no move to place the ASW staff onto frontline vehicles until the new year. We are continuing to work and negotiate with the management side on this issue.
The working group are continuing with the work on a draft policy for mealbreaks. Many proposals have been put forward, and the group are waiting on costing and subsequent responses from management. The first draft, when completed, will go out to all staff for consultation, comments and feedback.
Many rumours floating around at the moment suggesting that current EMT's may be forced into
the Paramedic course or move to Band 3 as a ‘Protected ASW’ are untrue, there is no truth in these rumours, and no
move to change what EMT's currently do. However, EMT's that wish to take the Paramedic course will be
encouraged to do so, and all new recruits will be employed on a Student Ambulance Paramedic basis.
The job description for EMT's in NSC regions has been completed and we are meeting with management to discuss and agree the final version in line with the National AFC protocols. It is envisaged that a full JE Panel will be set up very shortly to evaluate the role
AND FINALLY, it would appear that a fairly standard response recently from some
Management quarters when the going gets tough, has been, “well you may not like it but
your union have agreed it” can I ask that before reaching for the burning torches and pitchforks, that the
time is taken to just check exactly what your union has agreed to as it is very often the case that we
are being blamed for things that we have not agreed to, or are still negotiating on. 
July
The UNISON Branch of the East of England
Ambulance has been engaged in some intense negotiations to
try to harmonise the existing Mealbreak Agreements
arrangements for A & E Operations, NES, OOH, both on the
road and in HEOC.
These negotiations have taken place over six days in various locations. UNISON Branch members of the group are Barry Jarvis, Frank Ward, John Davey, Paul Hatch , Tim Killick , Stuart Reeves.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank all those concerned for the hard work they have done so far. The Management side are Rob Ashford (LCOO), Tracey Leghorn, (Head of Operational HR), Ann Langdon (Senior HR Manager), Paul Bassett and Mark Wade.
None of us who have been around for some time were surprised that this was one of the longest running contentious issues in Ambulance terms & conditions, and were therefore prepared to explore and argue about the minutia which can be uncovered at every turn in these types of negotiations.
At the time of writing there is no announcement to make other than to assure all staff that any document to be released will go for full consultation before any sign up. Such a document is still very much in draft form, and again at the time of writing, the group are due to re-convene in the second week of July for further debate
It is fair to say however that one of the hardest things
to do from our side was to maintain the goal that we want to
see all our members gaining out of any agreement, whilst
accepting that probably all would have to accept differences
to current arrangements, such is the nature of
‘harmonisation’!
May
Information on the Government’s proposal for a 3 year pay deal is now available to Unison members. Aside from mail shots being sent out to stations/departments, full details of the offer can also be found on the local branch, regional and national Unison websites as well as within this Newsletter. It is essential that members make themselves aware of what the offer entails as Unison will be balloting it’s members on whether to accept the offer or not. Ballot papers will be issued on the 15th May; the cut off date for ballot paper requests will be 3rd June with the ballot closing on the 6th June. Further information will be sent out with ballot papers.
The offer is worth 2.75%, 2.4% and 2.25% on pay and allowances over three years. There are also some peripheral adjustments to some of the lower bands and bands 5&6 which will raise the value of the offer slightly for some staff. It is important to mention that it would appear to give nothing extra for staff on the middle and top end of Band 4 – which is where our East of England Technicians currently find themselves.
You will also notice that there is a “reopener” clause attached to years 2 and 3 should inflation reach a high level, but historically these clauses have been notoriously difficult to activate should the need arise.
It is vital that every member uses their vote and carefully considers what they are voting for. A vote to accept the offer would mean a vote to accept a below-inflation increase for the first year and may in fact lead to below-inflation increases for the remaining 2 years; whilst a vote to reject the offer would almost certainly mean a vote to take part in some form of sustained and legal industrial action. Staff who are not in Unison or who are in any other union or association will not have the opportunity to vote, but by joining before the June cut off date they will have the chance to vote in this very important ballot. Any member who does not receive a ballot paper to their home address must contact Unison Direct on 0845 355 0845 immediately to ensure that their records are up to date.
Remember, this ballot will affect our pay for the next 3 years so make sure you USE YOUR VOTE.
On a slightly different note, this Branch will be launching a “Join a friend” initiative over the next few Months, which will allow members to win a tenner by simply signing up a friend or colleague into Unison. Look out for details dropping through a letterbox near you soon.
March
I would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you that sent back comments during the consultation period on the draft Annual Leave policy. Most of the comments received were very constructive and helpful and we will be looking at each of them when we next meet with Management.
Unsurprisingly the area that caused most feedback was around the length of notice required to book leave and I would like to try and explain why we ended up where we did.
We currently still have 3 very different management structures and 3 very different ways of allocating shifts to scheduling support/relief staff in the 3 former Trust areas, so when we came to look at trying to agree a common length of notice across the EoE, it became like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
Therefore we took the decision that until we have a common management structure and scheduling support in place, that current length of notice arrangements should remain in force. The reason that the length of notice has always been longer in the old NSC locality is because we have always tried to consider our scheduling support staff, who are an important and integral part of our A&E teams, and have in place an arrangement that gives them a reasonable period of notice of their shifts so that they can plan ahead like everyone else.
I hope everyone would agree that this arrangement, which has been in place for many years, is there for all the right reasons so as not to discriminate unfairly against our scheduling support staff.
We have however managed to agree a reduction in length of notice for staff in the NSC locality from the previous 9 weeks to 42 days, which the management side have assured us will not have a detrimental affect on the allocation of shifts to scheduling support staff, any attempt to reduce it further though would have a negative impact on the amount of notice those staff would receive of their shifts. So by observing the proposal put forward in the draft policy, no-one would actually suffer any loss on the arrangements that they currently work to.
January
Welcome back to another New Year which in Ambulance
terms, promises to be no less difficult and challenging than
the last. I hope you all managed to find some time to spend
with your families and friends to enjoy the festive season.
We now must look ahead to another year of working together
to defend our NHS and fight for the best conditions
we can for our Staff and Patients.
Following the recent news of Chris Carney’s
departure and having worked with many Chief Executives
over the past 26 years, I can honestly say that it has been a
privilege to work with Chris.
He took over what was a failing Trust in 2000 that had
been the subject of a Public Inquiry, and turned it into one
of the most modern and forward thinking Trusts in the
country.
Over the years we have seen improvements in
Training, Patient Care, Uniforms, vehicles and equipment,
the early implementation of AFC, and all standards reached
in IWL, to mention but a few. Some of these journeys have
not always been easy, and some difficult and forthright
meetings have taken place, but it has been Chris’s willingness
to listen and work with the Union, managers and Staff
that has helped get us through some difficult and uncertain
times.
Chris’s departure is a great loss to the Trust, his
sense of humour around the board table and the ability to
get the best from his team will be sorely missed.
I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of all staffside
colleagues and the staff in general to wish Chris all the
very best of health and success for the future in whichever
path he may take.
Negotiations have taken place on the cost of living
pay increase for the non AFC Contract holders, the agreement
reached is that those staff on non AFC contracts will
receive an uplift of 1.5% from April 1st 2007, and a further
1% from November 2007. These are in line with the pay
increase’s awarded nationally to AFC Staff. It is hoped
that the increase will be added to the January salaries.
Election forms for Stations and departmental UNISON
representatives will be arriving on stations soon.
Please ensure that these are clearly attached to notice
boards and I urge everyone to elect a local rep for their
department, there is much to do and many changes
ahead, and it is only by getting involved and working
together that we can hope to achieve the best outcomes
that we can.
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