Single Status 1

CONTRACT STAND-OFF AS STRIKE HALTED

26-02-2008

Bosses at Birmingham City Council have pledged to stop pressurising staff to sign revised contracts under the peace deal which prevented today’s strike – and Unions have promised that they won’t ask members to reject their new deal. The stand off will last a fortnight while talks continue.

More than 100 schools were closed last month and rubbish went uncollected as more than 9,000 staff staged a walkout.

Yesterday’s agreement binds both sides to talk every day for two weeks with the aim of reaching a deal over the Single Status Pay and Grading Review.

Here’s their statement in full:

Statement by the Joint Trade Unions and Birmingham City Council on the Pay and Grading Review and Industrial Action

1) Both sides commit themselves to working intensively to resolve differences by the 12th March 2008.

2) Such differences to include but not to be limited by: assimilation, progression, protection and non-pay contractual issues and application in schools as detailed in Appendix

3) Both sides seek, within the timeframe, to reconcile differences in respect of salary structure, including seeking agreement on salary banding and their sub divisions.

4) Our ideal joint outcome would be for only one core contract whatever we negotiate is applied to both those who have accepted the new contract and those who have not.

5) It is our intention to reach joint agreement.

6) So long as meaningful negotiations continue, (i) the status quo will prevail, (ii) the trade unions will not seek to influence their members to reject the new contract and (iii) the Council will not seek to encourage employees to accept the new contract.

7) Whilst it is the intention of both sides to ensure joint agreement, neither side discounts the possibility of asking staff to voluntarily agree to the deferment of its implementation should this be jointly agreed to be necessary in order to complete a successful outcome to the negotiations.

8) As a result of this jointly agreed statement, the trade unions will suspend the industrial action on Tuesday 26th February, for so long as meaningful negotiations are continuing.

9) Reasonable facilities will be provided for the Trades Unions to consult with their members on the outcome of these discussions.

See also Brum Council Strike cancelled click here

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