Thirty years after equal pay legislation was introduced, full time women workers are still paid 81p for every £1 paid to a man. Women graduates earn 15% less than equally qualified men.
Amicus campaigns for open, transparent and fair pay systems – this would benefit men and women.
A key tool in achieving equal pay is an Equal Pay Review or Audit, as recommended by the Equal Opportunities Commission. To date, the government has resisted calls to make such audits compulsory.
The need for such an Equal Pay Audit has formed part of Amicus pay campaigning in Fujitsu for several years. The company (like many others) has so far refused our requests. This formed part of the Amicus evidence to the government’s “Women and Work Commission”.
Manchester Trades Union Council and the Manchester branch of the National Union of Journalists are jointly hosting a public meeting on “Closing the Pay Gap”:
7pm-9:15pm, Thursday 8th November
The Mechanics Institute, Manchester
Speakers include Margaret Prosser, the chair of the “Women and Work Commission” and someone from UNISON talking about the landmark equal pay claim for hundreds of hospital workers in Cumbria.
The meeting is open to men and women union and non-union members. Admission is free. For more details, see:
www.manchestertradescouncil.org.uk
As in previous years, our branch has decided to order some Amicus diaries for branch members. The diaries usually include useful information about the union and your rights at work.
If you want a diary, please let us know.
Diaries will be allocated to branch members on a first-come – first served basis. We assume that reps, Health & Safety reps and branch officers will receive diaries from head office (as last year) so don’t need to request one via the branch.
Don’t forget the next meeting of the Greater Manchester IT branch is:
6pm-7:30pm, Thursday 3rd November 2005Upstairs, Hare & Hounds pub, Shudehill, Manchester city centre, M4 4AA
[Near the Shudehill Metrolink station and the spiral ramp to the Arndale car park]
All branch members are encouraged to attend.
We are disturbed to hear that the British National Party is trying to organise in the area near Central Park. A key figure in this is Derek Adams, the landlord of the Ace of Diamonds pub on Oldham Road, who was recently an election candidate for the BNP.
Amicus is active at all levels in campaigning against racism and fascism, in the workplace and in the community. Racism divides the workforce and we are all the losers. We know from our history that fascist organisations target trade unionists as much as anyone else. We encourage all members to get involved in campaigning to defend a united, just and democratic society.
Amicus is affiliated to the campaigning group Unite Against Fascism, which is organising an event in Manchester featuring Paul Abbott, the writer of TV’s “Shameless”, which is filmed on the estate opposite MAN05:
An evening with Paul Abbott
Saturday 12th November, from 7pm onwards
Saffron restaurant, Cheetham Hill Road
Tickets £15 waged, £10 unwaged, including a three course buffet meal
Please book places on 07974 400 183
Card access woes
Many employees have been complaining to Amicus about the access problems since Project SAFE was switched on at Central Park. We have written to David Wallis, the head of security, to highlight the issues that have been brought to our attention. You can read the letter here.
Fire safety
The letter Amicus Health & Safety reps wrote to the local fire brigade has produced improvements, such as training for Fire Marshals and inductions for staff. However, we have had to chase hard to get a response from the company, which we have received this week. We will be studying the response carefully and considering what next steps are required to protect the safety of employees.
Health & Safety inspections
Wednesday 26th October is "National Health & Safety Inspection Day". On the day, the Amicus Health & Safety representatives at Central Park will be carrying out inspections of the following areas:
· MAN33-2
· MAN35-0
· MAN35-1
· MAN35-2
· External areas of the campus, including entrances and exits
Falling soon after the moves into Central Park are complete, the inspections are a good opportunity to identify hazards and other Health & Safety issues so that they can be resolved. If you have any concerns about your Health & Safety, please let your Health & Safety representative know.
Health & Safety Reps
A current list of Health & Safety reps at Central Park can be found on CafeVIK here.
We currently have no Health & Safety reps based at MAN05, so it is temporarily being covered by Phil Tepper and Ian Allinson.
Amicus is keen to ensure every area of both sites is well represented. If you want to help improve the Health & Safety of your colleagues and yourself and would be interested in becoming a Health & Safety rep, please email us. The union provides full training and the company provides paid release for Health & Safety reps to attend.
Catering
Many of you have been complaining about the high prices and poor choice offered by the restaurants at Central Park, especially when compared to West Gorton. The restaurant staff, many of whom are also Amicus members, have been as disappointed by the reduction in facilities as anyone.
Please don’t just moan to your colleagues – there are feedback/comment books available in the restaurants – please use them. The more constructive comments there are, the more ammunition Amicus (and for that matter the restaurant staff) has to push for improvements.
The experience at Bracknell after their catering was devastated a few years ago was that consistent and determined complaints did produce significant improvements. It is certainly true that “if you don’t ask, you won’t get”.
Meet the neighbours
The building next door to Central Park is now open and partially operating. This is “One Central Park” – a joint venture between MANCAT, the local universities and Manchester Science Park.
The college is already offering IT training, and this isn’t just basic skills. The facility will expand over coming months and is expected to hold 1400 people by April.
If you want to look around you will need to sign in at the entrance.
Pay scales
A hot issue across the company is the way employees are denied access to the median pay figures for each Professional Community role – what most employees refer to as “pay scales”. In the Manchester bargaining unit, the company were only prepared to provide this information to reps if they first agreed to keep it confidential from employees. Members decided to instruct reps to challenge this rather than accept it.
As a result, Amicus took a legal claim to the Central Arbitration Committee in an attempt to force disclosure of the pay figures without confidentiality restrictions. As a consequence of this claim, there have been two “conciliation” meetings between Fujitsu management and Amicus. Following these meetings, the company has made an offer, which we have published on CafeVIK here.
Your reps will be discussing this proposal on Friday morning, and would welcome your views. The key decision to be taken on Friday is whether to put this directly to a vote (of members in the scope of the Manchester recognition agreement), or whether to seek clarification or changes to the offer.
Please note that this arrangement would only apply to the Manchester bargaining unit. Amicus is also supporting attempts to ensure disclosure of pay information across the rest of the company, including a claim under the TUPE regulations relating to the staff who transferred from LloydsTSB and cases under the Data Protection Act.
Helpdesk pay scales
The helpdesks are the exception to the general rule – there are pay scales. The Amicus pay deal in Manchester this year secured the first increase in these scales since they were introduced. We have now published the scales on CafeVIK along with some supporting information, you can view the information by clicking on this hyperlink.
Implementation of the 2005 Manchester pay deal
Amicus reps have been complaining vigorously about the fact that the company have failed to implement the 2005 pay deal fully. Despite Amicus identifying a range of individual cases and making clear what needs to be done, progress has been pitifully slow. A few individuals have had additional rises as a result of our efforts, and others have had rises backdated, but these cases are only the tip of the iceberg of non-implementation.
There is an old saying in the trade union movement: “the price of good terms and conditions is eternal vigilance”. This can’t just mean reps keeping a watchful eye out – it means every employee needs to. This is the only way to prevent employers eroding terms and conditions piecemeal. Have you checked the agreement to see if you’ve had everything you’re entitled to?
As instructed by a members’ meeting earlier in the year, Amicus reps have written to Roger Leek, the company HR boss, spelling out the way the company is breaking a variety of agreements with serious consequences for employees in relation to vital issues such as pay and benefits, individual representation, job security, redundancy and redeployment.
Amicus reps have requested a “works conference” meeting, which is the final stage in the agreed procedure for resolving collective issues. The union spelt out the urgent need to resolve these vital issues, as members had also instructed us to begin preparations for a ballot for industrial action, in case that proved necessary.
You can read this key letter on CafeVIK here.
The view that the company is attempting to undermine employees’ rights by attacking the union has been reinforced by moves (since the letter was sent) to deny your representatives time to carry out their duties. Amicus regards this as a serious attack on the union.
Don’t forget the next meeting of the Greater Manchester IT branch is:
6pm-7:30pm, Thursday 6th October 2005
Upstairs, Hare & Hounds pub, Shudehill, Manchester city centre, M4 4AA
[Near the Shudehill Metrolink station and the spiral ramp to the Arndale car park]
The main topic of discussion will be redundancy, redeployment, reassignment and Compromise Agreements.
All branch members are encouraged to attend.