help with policy change please

[unclemichael]

i was wondering if anyone could advise me to the legality of the selection process for a change to our out of hours on-call payments,the new revised policy was decided by a panel of union representives, working together with management it was decided on a % payment of the basic wage,this was then voted on by a committee of union representatives and others around 9
people, the original panel of 4 persons were among the voting panel, so we have vote.....4 people whom have decided on the policy then have a vote....the vote is carried 5 to 4,can this be legal for the original selection panel to have a vote? .......very much a stacked vote, especially when the people selecting are on high pay bands and will undoubtably gain from the implementation, and the people who actually get called out to emergency repairs, namely the maintenance staff will lose out.I have tried not to state who my employer is as i am not sure that they can be named on the forum but it is within the public sector

[Eloise01]

Re: help with policy change please

There is no law around such matters. How such agreements are made is a matter for the unions, the employer and their collective bargaining agreement. If this process does not breach those agreements, then the vote is valid.

[unclemichael]

Re: help with policy change please

would i be right in saying that to change your contract all parties would have to be in agreement with the policy change? if so we are not in agreement with what has been agreed, do we have any course of action to take?.thanks

[Eloise01]

Re: help with policy change please

No you wouldn't. Since this is public sector and the unions were involved, I assume this is subject to a collective bargaining agreement. In which case the agreement is formed between the recognised unions and the employer for the entire workforce. If the unions have agreed then you may individually refuse the change, but that will simply result in your being deemed to have resigned. If you are unhappy about the way your unions have represented you, you must take that up with them, but a collective agreement remains in place on this matter.

[wales01man]

Re: help with policy change please

surely if you elect or ask someone to represent you they know what you and your colleagues want and reach agreement knowing what is acceptable hard to see you not accepting change

[Eloise01]

Re: help with policy change please

surely if you elect or ask someone to represent you they know what you and your colleagues want and reach agreement knowing what is acceptable hard to see you not accepting change

It is difficult to comment effectively as we really don't have any details of what the change is about or why the policy is being changed, but it is important to remember that whilst unions almost always get the "blame" for what they have negotiated (or failed to negotiate), and sometimes deservedly, "the union" is all its members, and not an anonymous body of officials in an office somewhere. Those officials are elected too. The union is obliged to get the best deal foir all its members where it can, not just one group of them. And a union is often privy to information about alternatives that the members would definitely like less (such as, it's agree to this change or there will be longer hours / redundancies, etc.). And no union can deliver what its members are not prepared to fight for. Unions are not fairies with magic wands, who can wave things into existence. They are collectives, and as strong as their members.