On Thursday 9th of January Unison NIAS Branch officials met with the chief executive, senior management team and other unions in NIAS HQ. We have repeatedly raised concerns about the Trust’s intentions to forge ahead with transformative measures, which do not agree with our agreement and are causing serious consternation amongst our members.
Various matters were discussed at length and as a result, the Trust have agreed to postpone the planned implementation of the SE shift pattern trial which was due to commence on Feb 3rd. We have made it clear that the Unison NIAS Branch does not support this in its current form and that no member should be forced to work this pattern if they cannot. This was a No. 1 priority for our Branch due to the imminent nature of the proposed start date. NIAS suggested contacting each staff member to inform them of the decision to postpone. As a responsible Union, we felt it was appropriate that this should be allowed to happen as it was the Trust who had initially informed staff it would be going ahead.
This was intended to allow all staff to be informed at a similar time and to ensure they were confident of the factual accuracy of the information. We understand that this information has now been issued and that some brief info was shared by other unions ahead of this. Your Unison branch officials must adhere to the same standards which we hold the Trust accountable to concerning partnership working. We will continue to engage with the Trust on this and any other issues that are a cause of concern for us and our members including the proposed operational restructuring and how attendance management is being handled.
Do not doubt that Unison will be in every room we need to be to represent our member’s concerns fully and robustly. Our large membership and significant network of stewards ensure that all concerns are raised through the proper channels at the highest levels appropriate for each issue.
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