Agenda item

Motions on Notice

A period of up to one hour is allocated to consider the motions on notice. This may only be extended with the agreement of the Council.

Minutes:

The Chairman explained that in respect of Councillor King’s motion it had been agreed by the Leader and Officers had been tasked with investigating delivery of this Motion. In respect of Councillor Hunter’s motion, it had also been agreed and Officers again, had been tasked with investigating delivery of this Motion.

The Chairman confirmed that the final Motion, from Councillor H Rone-Clarke, which had been published in the supplementary agenda pack for Members’ consideration, at page 27, would be debated in the usual way, with the time limit of one hour.

Trade Unions

Members considered the following Motion on Notice, submitted by Councillor H Rone-Clarke:

Background Information:

i. People on lower paid jobs are less likely to be able to work from home, increasing their risk of exposure to Coronavirus.

ii. That research by the TUC has found unionised workplaces to be more ‘Covid secure.’

iii. Union membership brings job security.

iv. Trade union membership will provide greater employment rights beyond the end of the pandemic.

Council sends congratulations to the Trade Union Congress on the 150^th anniversary of the passing of the Trade Union Act and

Council requests Cabinet to do the following:

i. Commit to sending a representative of the Cabinet to attend trade union liaison meetings moving forward.

ii. Reaffirm its commitment to working/consulting with trade unions as it leads us through the Coronavirus crisis and beyond.

iii. Commit to promote trade union membership both as an employer and for the people of Bromsgrove.

The motion was proposed by Councillor Rone-Clarke and seconded by Councillor P McDonald.

In proposing the Motion, Councillor Rone-Clarke explained that there were two aspects to the preparation of his motion and firstly the motion was put together with the help and guidance of people in the Trades Union movement and secondly, an integral part of the motion was that the Cabinet engaged more robustly with the Trades Unions, particularly those who represented employees and staff working at this Council. He had been interested to hear at the beginning of the meeting the number of Members who had or continued to be members of a Trade Union. Councillor Rone-Clarke asked Members to ask themselves a key question before they made a decision as to whether to vote for or against the motion; “If you are a member of a trade union would you not want the same robust engagement with your employer or stakeholders related to your Trade Union?” He wanted to extend the same curtesy to the staff of this Council, so he urged Members to consider this when making a decision and hoped Members would vote in the right way.

Councillor S Colella raised a point of order and asked for clarification as to what exactly Members were being asked to vote on. The Chairman suggested that Members were considering points i), ii) and iii) in the concluding paragraph of the motion. This was confirmed as being correct by Councillor Rone-Clarke.

In seconding the Motion, Councillor P McDonald made the point that nobody in the chamber should ever forget those who had enabled them to be where they were today and had fought hard and sacrificed so much to make a strong economy which everyone benefited from. Councillor McDonald referred back to the Tolpuddle Martyrs, the Match Makers and many more to those struggling today to make a better economy for so many. Those who were organised were able to fight unscrupulous bosses who were using the pandemic as an opportunity to cut wages and worsen working conditions. Those that were organised in such a way were able to defend their hard earned rights. The evidence from the last century and a half was clear, stronger unions created a stronger economy, which in turn resulted in better paid jobs for all. It was highlighted that it was the 150^th Anniversary of the Trade Union Movement, which should remind everyone of the giant steps that have been made in improving working life, but not forgetting the challenges that also lie ahead. The last 150 years also showed that the strength of the economy went hand in hand with the strength of the Trade Unions and in the troubled economic times the Trade Unions are needed more than ever. Councillor McDonald highlighted a number of benefits that were available to those within a trade union, these were available due to workers joining together to negotiate with management in order to ensure workers were treated with respect and supported fairly. Unions worked hard to ensure workplaces were more inclusive to women, the LGBT community, black and minority workers, those with a disability and older workers. Where there was a trade union, workers were far less likely to face problems in relation to a number of areas such as sickness. They were also safer work places, with significantly lower injury rates and were also more Covid secure. They supported those who were injured and unfairly treated at work, in addition they supported workers in getting the skills they need to get better paid jobs. Most importantly they allowed the workers to have a voice a work and where unions were involved, often helped companies to survive difficult times. It was also noted that they also had an impact on non-union work places. It was further highlighted that during this pandemic there had been a rise in union membership, as people realised that being organised was the best way of ensuring they had a safe working environment. All the evidence over the last 150 years had demonstrated this country had a stronger economy from working with and along side the trade union movement.

In responding to the Motion on Notice, the Leader made the following comments:

The Council had a long and productive relationship with the Trade Unions which had been particularly beneficial during the months of the current pandemic. The Council regularly engaged, involved, and discussed, with the Trade Unions, matters that affect the workforce. This had included discussions around the Council’s approach and response to the pandemic.

The Council also held regular Informal Trade Union Liaison (ITUL) meetings that took place every eight weeks and had both local and regional Union representatives in attendance. All three Unions were represented at these meetings, UNISON, GMB and Unite and were chaired by the Deputy Chief Executive. All participants, management, and unions had an opportunity to put forward items for the agenda and at the end of every meeting any other business could be raised to ensure nothing was missed. The meetings provided and contributed to the effective working relationship that the Council had with all three trade unions. At the start of the pandemic the frequency of the meetings was discussed with the Trade Unions, to ensure all were comfortable with the dialogue that was being held, particularly in relation to the Council’s response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Council took the decision, early in March 2020, prior to the first formal lockdown, to ensure all staff who could work from home would do so until further notice. Only roles that were unable to be undertaken remotely had continued to be present within the workplace. This position had been maintained throughout the entire pandemic. Other safety measures had been put in place to protect the Council’s workforce and ensure its workplaces were Covid Secure. Some of these measures included (this was not an exhaustive list):

· reviewing business continuity plans

· reviewing risk assessments

· separating public and employee access points into buildings

· mandatory signing in at all locations (or use of the NHS Track and Trace App)

· wearing of face coverings in communal areas of buildings

· sanitiser stations in all buildings

· limiting access to communal areas to one person at a time

· extensive cleaning regimes

· partitions for employees working in public areas.

· PPE for front facing employees.

· Regular production and updating of employee Frequently Asked Questions in line with Government guidance.

· Regular remote staff briefings with the Chief Executive Officer

In addition to the ITUL meetings the local Union representatives also attended the Corporate Health, Safety & Wellbeing Committee, also chaired by the Deputy Chief Executive, where employees, Councillor representatives and the Senior Health & Safety Officer discussed and actioned matters relating to corporate health and safety. The Council was committed to Health and Safety and the protection of its employees.

The Council also had a Wellbeing Group that met regularly to specifically discuss the wellbeing of its employees during the pandemic. The local UNISON Representative also attended this group. The meeting was again chaired by the Deputy Chief Executive and had representatives from Health and Safety, Human Resources, Equalities and Communications.

As the Leader had demonstrated; the Council was absolutely committed to working and consulting with the Trade Unions. However, she felt that it would be inappropriate for a member of the Cabinet to attend Trade Union liaison meetings as most matters discussed at the meetings were of an employment nature and which was an officer to officer matter.

The Leader advised that it was not the role of the Council to promote union membership to its workforce. Trade Union membership was a decision for an individual to make. The Council recognised and valued the important relationship it had with the Unions. Historically, when any of the three Unions have decided to hold a recruitment drive to attract new members, the Council had always been fully supportive of this activity and had provided space in its buildings for this activity to be undertaken. Events were also advertised and promoted on the ORB (Council Intranet) and the Council also funded a full time Union convenor who was the local UNISON representative.

In summary, the Leader advised that her Group would not be supporting the motion; but in closing she stated that the Council would continue to support the constructive relationship that it had with Trade Unions and she hoped that this cordial and productive relationship continued.

The Leader acknowledged the 150^th Anniversary of the Trade Union Act and took the opportunity to formally thank everyone at Bromsgrove District Council for their hard work and co-operation during this pandemic.

Councillor A Kent raised a point of order as when the motion was presented Members had been told that the motion had been composed in conjunction with trade unions, he therefore wished to clarify whether any of the Councillors putting forward the motion had any financial interest from the trade unions as they did on occasion fund members of the Labour Group and whether this was the case for those presenting the motions. Councillor Kent asked the Monitoring Officer to confirm whether this was a matter which should have been declared under the relevant item on the agenda.

The Monitoring Officer responded that on the basis that there were interested declared in the context trade union membership, Members had sought a dispensation in this regard. Councillor Rone-Clarke responded that he had not taken any monies from any trade union during his one election campaign as had been inferred.

During the debate which followed a number of areas were discussed:

· It was commented that in 150 years there had been many changes, which were largely due to changes in legislation which protected the employee, which had been put in place by various governments.

· Clarity was requested in respect of the background information provided in the motion. Councillor Rone-Clarke confirmed that he would provide this to Councillor A Kriss outside of the meeting.

· The Leader of the Council was thanked for her detailed response as there had been initial concerns that the motion was aimed specifically at some concerns that may have been raised in respect of this Council in particular.

· Councillor L Mallett highlighted that it was clearly an important and appropriate time for such an item to be discussed. Whilst the Leader had set out the range of measures that were in place at the Council, it was welcomed to hear the support that the Council gave and therefore he could see no reason why the motion would not be supported, as it appeared not to be asking the Council to anything other than what it already did and was committed to doing.

· Councillor J Till commented on the Leader’s response and the work that the officers did in line with the three unions. She highlighted that this had been discussed at the Equalities Task Group meeting, Members of which were present at this Council meeting, when it had been highlighted how well the Council and the unions worked together.

· Councillor R Hunter was pleased to support the motion and suggested it was important to look at what the motion was actually asking for, to reaffirm the Council’s commitment to working with the trade unions and as had been highlighted there was excellent work already being carried out and therefore this should not be a problem, it also asked Council to promote the unions, which it appeared to already do. It was suggested that if the inclusion of a Member of the Cabinet at the meetings was not appropriate then the motion could be amended.

· The motion was an expression of gratitude to the work of the trade union movement, here in Bromsgrove and elsewhere. It was highlighted that the lowest paid employees were receiving the real living wage. The unions had a great tradition of peaceful wage bargaining, representing their members.

In summing up Councillor Rone-Clarke shared his disappointment in the responses he had received, and suggested Members were out of touch in these difficult times. The trade unions had made work places more Covid Secure and if, as had been suggested the Council was already doing so much, he saw no reason why Members should not support the Motion and could not understand the reasoning behind their refusal to support it. He further clarified that he had written the motion after seeing that another local authority had passed a similar one and it was not one which had been issued at a regional or national level. He believed Members of the Cabinet represented these people as their employers, he had also spoken to a union representative who supported the motion and would be in agreement with it.

On being put to the vote the Motion was lost.

Supporting documents: