Herts FBU News and Notices

This page contains general news about the Hertfordshire Fire Brigade Union or issues of interest to its members. Also included here are notices providing members and other web site visitors with information about forth coming events and initiatives.

Click the following link to read in a new window. (Newsletter 5: March 2010)

14th January 2010

ALL HERTS MEMBERS

Herts FBU lodge formal grievance

With reference to a minuted discussion at a SLG meeting in October 2009 and the subsequent investigation leading to Service proposals to unilaterally change / alter the rates of pay / conditions of contract to 5 / 6 Uniformed Posts, Hertfordshire Fire Brigades Union has raised a formal collective grievance on the following grounds:

1. That Uniformed contracts and rates of pay collectively fall under the NJC's Conditions of Service (Grey Book) and any proposal for change is done through consultation with the appropriate Bodies using the structured protocols.
2. That, although individuals can be approached relating their contracts and rates of pay, permission and agreement for detrimental changes to their position should not be sought from said individuals. The Service had arranged such meetings with each individual with their Group Managers.
3. That these posts are not in any way linked to, or with, Control Operator positions and the Services attempt to link the Con Opps 95% pay scale to Opps is invalid and unjustified. All the said posts have separate Job Descriptions, Offer of appointment and terms of conditions and have been filled via interview for those particular positions. A secondment opportunity from Control to an Opps posting is recognised and is not disputed within this grievance.
4. That as the Service is only looking at positions that have been filled by prior Control Operatives who are predominately female staff, it is questionable that the Service is in breach of its own and Herts CC Equality of Opportunity Policy and is penalising these employees due to their origin within the Service. This can be further highlighted by the proposal to detrimentally change one of the Fire Safety posts whilst the adjacent position occupied by a male Crew Manager on the same current contract remains the same.

Informal investigations and discussions at principle Officer level have been undertaken by Herts FBU.

Herts FBU require in settlement of this dispute that the current proposal is withdrawn, that the employees in these posts are not  put in a detrimental position because of their prior employment and any future or further discussions are conducted via the appropriate protocols as per NJC Scheme of Conditions of Service.