INDUSTRIAL ACTION HITS WINTER MAINTENANCE

[Ship called Dignity]

Right oh, I see. So you are on about manual workers, carers etc

Yeah well the main bulk of industrial action is made up of the manual workers, although there are others in there like clerical who have had drops in pay and think the strike will do something about it.

I would be surprised if this is true Smokynuk, in terms of the main bulk? But then again you have me thinking about numbers on the roads, amenities etc. Kind of thinking out loud (losing it) but there are more office/clerical/admin than manual workers are there not?

Totally agree with your last bit - all the clerical/admin workers went on strike regarding issues with Terms and Conditions (lije everyone on strike). There is nothing they could do about where Single Status graded them pay wise. I believe this has to be dealt with through the appeal process?

[smokynuk]

I would be surprised if this is true Smokynuk, in terms of the main bulk? But then again you have me thinking about numbers on the roads, amenities etc. Kind of thinking out loud (losing it) but there are more office/clerical/admin than manual workers are there not?

Hmm yeah i think your right, It was just the impression i got though from my end. The manual workers were all out on strike, picketing the yard and other places. Whereas quite a few people working clerical, left the union (or even stayed in) but still came to work.

I think i got that impression because the manual workers were striking a week before the rest of the council did, and they also had more support for the strike whereas whole departments of clerical workers came in to work. As for sheer numbers, not sure on that one.

There is nothing they could do about where Single Status graded them pay wise. I believe this has to be dealt with through the appeal process?

Well thats the way i see it. I mean the salaries department are already working out pay on the new pay scale and have been for weeks, getting ready for the change over due this month. Also when a Union Steward was asked at the time, they confirmed that if you have a grievance over pay then the only way you can do something about it is appeal.

HOWEVER - when someone asked the same union representative what this strike was for, the answer changed several times, the most common one being Pay and Conditions, but the most recent time they were asked they said the strike was "for everything, the whole single status process"

So im not surprised people are confused

[John S]

John, the bottom line is that it is a forum and folk are entitled to their opinion. If anyone is offended then they can vote with their keyboard, don't use it and walk away....................

I'm not saying who's right or wrong but I think we are entitled to make up our own mind as to what we want to read.

S

Yeh a copout for the thoughtless, nice one

[SmithD]

Because I'm clerical - DOh! My last words.......

nothing wrong with being clerical
So i guess thats something to do with what you were going to post?

Not much right about being clerical neither!

[Malky]

John, the bottom line is that it is a forum and folk are entitled to their opinion. If anyone is offended then they can vote with their keyboard, don't use it and walk away....................

I'm not saying who's right or wrong but I think we are entitled to make up our own mind as to what we want to read.

S

Yeh a copout for the thoughtless, nice one

That's their right too, John

Malky

[John S]

And mine to point it out

[Jock Strap]

Is it true staff (I believe the office workers) have lost one days holiday as a result of the agreements reached to call off the strike?

[smokynuk]

Nope, no holidays were lost by any of the office workers

[Malky]

I assume they just don't get paid for the days of the strike as per normal for these things.

Malky

[smokynuk]

Yep, and i tell you, it did alot of departments a favour. Brought many of them under budget for the year end (because of all those wages they didnt have to pay).

[Jock Strap]

Yep, and i tell you, it did alot of departments a favour. Brought many of them under budget for the year end (because of all those wages they didnt have to pay).

I am sure the staff will sleep better knowing that their three days lost income did good.

Nope, no holidays were lost by any of the office workers

Seems a rumour sweeping the Council is untrue then? Was one of the original terms of conditions that the offices closed between Christmas and New Year? Staff used 2 days for the three days off? Now that has been scrapped. Does mean staff have lost 1 day?

[smokynuk]

Seems a rumour sweeping the Council is untrue then? Was one of the original terms of conditions that the offices closed between Christmas and New Year? Staff used 2 days for the three days off? Now that has been scrapped. Does mean staff have lost 1 day?

With the proposed closing of the period inbetween xmas and new year, staff had to give up some holidays to cover those days. Cant remember how many days were public holidays and how many were personal holidays, but the bottom line was that if you add up both sets of holidays, staff werent actually losing (or gaining) any days off.

OHH actually come to think of it, i remember now where that rumour came from..... for xmas eve and hogmanay, people were given unofficial afternoons off. As they were unofficial, the council decided to take them away, thus people seen the 2 half days as a full day.

So, yeah, my mistake and apologies (i forgot all about that)

[general jack o'niell]

i take it this agreement when and if it comes will mean an end to sunday bulb planting and such, or do they already have a rota whereby workers most likely to be called upon to work at weekends, unlike office staff i presume, work a kind of shift system, taking turns to be working over saturdays and sundays, with two week days off?

oh and as council tax payers are we entitled to free use of the wee tractor and trailer if we need a bit of topsoil for the garden?