Council ‘attack’ on trade unions

TRADE unions are “under attack” from Bristol City Council over plans that could change how much paid time off reps get for carrying out their role, it is claimed.

Unison “fundamentally disagrees” with the proposal which it fears could erode unions’ abilities to fight for workers’ rights, a council meeting heard.

Talks are underway between the local authority’s bosses and employee representatives to formalise many years’ custom and practice in a new written agreement.

The council says it currently goes beyond statutory limits for time off for union reps – officially called facilities time – and that it wants to produce a process that is fit for the 21st century in a “leaner organisation” because it has not been reviewed for decades.

But Unison Bristol branch secretary Tom Merchant told the human resources committee that while the first recent meeting between the two sides over the issue was “constructive”, the union could never agree with what was being suggested and there was almost no middle ground.

Mr Merchant told the meeting: “Let’s be clear – we cannot compromise on 90 to 95 per cent of what is proposed.

“We know what the idea is and we fundamentally disagree with it.”

He said Unison shared this position with Unite which had pointed out that trade unions had historically enjoyed a much better relationship with the council than what was required by law.

Mr Merchant said: “So it should not be the baseline levels of the Trade Union & Labour Relations Act and the Employment Act, it’s a stronger relationship that has social value and it has been built into Bristol City Council, making it a strongly democratic one.

“Whereas ourselves and Unite disagree over pensions levels, we are 100 per cent together on this that we cannot re-draw at all because it would then prevent us from managing the day-to-day control of issues at work.

“We have a 6,000-strong workforce, hundreds of cases each year and we have to have the ability to organise ourselves, which has to be independent from how management views good employee relations in the workplace.

“I very much regret to say it feels very much like an attack on the trade unions.

“We can’t relinquish any of the rights we have as trade unions.”

He said compromise was often found between Unison and the council but the union “can’t compromise on anything at all on this”.

City council HR business partner James Brereton told members: “Tom says there is a big gulf, I would say we have only had one meeting, we produced a rough document as a starter for those discussions.

“I suspect there is much on which we would agree.”

He said a written agreement over union facilities time had been in place in 1996 when Bristol City Council was created but that this was long gone.

“A large part of the day-to-day conduct of our relations with trade unions is custom and practice. We are seeking to write that down. That’s a good thing to do, for all sides,” Mr Brereton said.

Government guidance issued by the Cabinet Office says trade union duties are paid while other trade union activities can be paid or unpaid at the discretion of the employer.

Examples of trade union duties include collective bargaining, such as over redundancy and employment terms and conditions, taking part in various negotiations and attending disciplinary hearings, while trade union activities also include union administration and correspondence.