You may recall that at the end of January we were balloting members in Corporate Property on their pay offer of 3%. The ballot closed on 12th February and on a 47% turnout, 100% voted in favour of the offer. I think that we can safely say that that was a fairly emphatic result.

We were also still in the middle of negotiations in PGDS. The negotiating team had advised PGDS that we would not be able to recommend a 2.5% offer to our membership. We then went into another round of talks and PGDS offered a 2.5% pot for everyone and an additional 0.5% pot to address “hotspots”.

In the context of cost challenges and organisational changes being addressed in PGDS securing a package worth 3% was a great result. It is absolutely clear that without Unite and our level of membership within PGDS, employees would have had to settle for a 2.5% deal. It was clear to the negotiating team that the Company didn’t want a confrontation with Unite so additional money was found.

Members were balloted and on a 56% turn-out 93% voted in favour of the offer.

The turnouts in ballots is something the Prudential reps will be looking at this year as only PGDS returned a turn-out of over 50% and we need to understand how we encourage members to participate more in the union and in ballots that have a direct impact on their terms and conditions.

In light of government attacks on Trade Unions we need to make sure all members are engaged with the Union and what the reps are doing on your behalf to ensure your voice continues to be heard.

Outside of the pay talks we continue to meet with the Finance Transformation team to discuss Day 3. Things do appear to be moving and Unite’s views and opinions are being taken on board. We are looking at an April announcement so the consultations will continue throughout March.

In PGDS we are expecting consultations on the new structure to commence late March. On top of this we have regular meetings with HR to discuss how people are feeling and any rumours that we pick up. The Company have already acted on a number of our suggestions. Wendy Wilson, the Unite rep in Waterhouse Square is on the working party involved in the move within that office.

You may have already seen a number of members signed up for the free Distance Learning courses in February. Members will be studying subjects such as Business Administration, Team Leading, Understanding Autism and Nutrition & Health. Funding for these courses will be stopped by the government after April so if you are interested in taking advantage of getting a free Level 2 qualification via Unite you need to let us know as soon as possible.

I also attended the Corporate Services conference where we were given an update on the People Strategy and the “Employee Deal” which will be launched in the next month or so. It was interesting to hear the context behind the move from an Engagement strategy and I’ll cover this in more detail once the strategy has been launched.

We continue to be involved in representing a number of members who have had individual issues, whether that be grievances, disciplinary or performance. This month we have again seen over 90% of the outcomes resulting in a positive outcome for our members. We still have a number of grievances relating to performance ratings outstanding. Remember you only have 28 days from receiving notification of your rating to appeal if you are unhappy with the rating you received. So if you are unhappy please speak to your local rep.

We have also begun discussions with the Company in relation to holiday pay. This follows recent tribunal cases, following a European Court ruling in relation to overtime and commission payments being included in the calculation for holiday pay. The law is still unclear but we are hoping to reach an agreement with the Company on this matter without having to rely on any legal proceedings to determine the matter. Discussions are likely to continue throughout March and into April.

Which brings me to Unite news outside Prudential. The government has announced a date for the In/Out referendum on the EU. Unite’s policy, agreed at the last policy conference in 2014 is to remain in so I think you can expect to see and receive messaging from Unite explaining their reasons for staying in.

In London, Unite are supporting and campaigning heavily for Sadiq Khan to be the next London Mayor. A new Facebook account has been launched www.facebook.com/Unite4Sadiq which will give you details of the campaign and why Unite want to see Sadiq as the next mayor.

There are also Scottish Parliament elections so members in Craigforth will, no doubt see messages encouraging you to vote Labour in Scotland.
However, whoever you vote for the most important thing is to register to vote. The Conservatives have changed the electoral registration process which has seen over 800,000 voters drop off the electoral register since December.

If you aren’t registered it takes 5 minutes and can be done by following the following link – https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. You have until 18th April to register and take part in the May elections.

Thanks for reading and if you have any ideas on how we can increase our engagement of Prudential members or you have any comments or thoughts on the blog please leave a comment.