SCOTTISH WATER BRANCH

Apologies for absence

Apologies were received from:- Jim Anderson (Shetland), Ravi Nathan,

Steven Gordon.

Minutes of previous meeting (January  2006)

Minutes of previous meeting were approved. AN asked that item 6.6 be corrected to say that no date was set for a meeting with the HSE.

Matters Arising

3.1 - Accommodation for Conference will be allocated by UNISON. This is

unlikely to be close to the conference due to the lateness in sourcing rooms.

 3.3 - DW is still to link to the forum from the website.

4.4 - A branch response to WICS Retail Split consultation was not submitted

due to time constraints
 

6.1            - AGM Papers were sent out to members. An invite was sent out to

female stewards to take the shared delegate place. AGM poster to be

drawn up by SS, or local steward if they have the resources. Birmingham

course was circulated to stewards.

6.4            – A draft budget was tabled at the meeting.

6.5            – Maternity issue is being dealt with by JSA.

6.6            – AN/PH working on plan of workplace inspections. Working Time

meeting has been postponed – new date TBC.

6.7            - Newsletter was issued.

7.1 – DW/SS to contact Mary Scott.

Pensions

Ballot papers for industrial action are to be issued to members from 20^th Feb.

It was agreed that an Industrial Action Committee be set up to coordinate

communications and agree the scope of action to be taken. This group is to

be made up of SS/JSA/PH/WF.

The position of the other TUs is to be clarified. At least one other TU has

already notified SW that they will be balloting.

SW Retail

Concern was raised after a senior SW Manager stated that staff would be TUPE transferred to SW Retail. It was the Branch's understanding that staff would be seconded into the retail arm. DW/BA to raise this at the next SW Council meeting.

 

Branch Secretary

Annual report for AGMs is being prepared. Branch Officer statements are to be provided to SS for inclusion.

SS circulated a report on the last JTUG meeting. A further JTUG meeting is to be held on 20^th Feb.

SW Council

Pay Award – negotiations continuing on the 2006 award. Slow progress being made due to arguments on how this is to be funded. SW want the TUs to provide ways of saving money to fund anything above the 2.5% allowed by the WIC. This is seen as unreasonable. A JTUG position is to be taken at the next meeting.

Differentials – No progress being made due to the above funding issue.

 
Pay Progression – SW are linking this to the pay award but the TUs are trying to keep them separate. Funding for this must be provided by SW to avoid a backlash from staff.

 

Mileage – JSA queried the agreement made on retaining the 40p rate. DW to provide background data to JSA for his information.

 

VR Scheme – DW reported that a new VR scheme is being negotiated and radical changes are being considered. The branch view is that any new scheme should be as similar to the current scheme as can be achieved.

 
Cross Functional Working – DW reported that a sub-group of SWC has been set up to consider cross functional, upskilling and multiskilling issues and to report back to SWC on 23 Feb for a decision on how this is to progress.

 
BUC Reports

 

Solutions – JSA reported that SWS have negotiated changes to the Secondment Policy to cover the extension of the SWS secondment and for the IT joint venture. One positive improvement is the emphasis on permanent career development.

 
Treasurer

 
ID tabled an updated budget for 2006. He confirmed that the branch had overspent in 2005 and indicated areas where we should cut costs. Stewards are to give consideration and to feed back views for the next meeting.

 

Education

 

BR gave details of a course for experienced stewards that is to be organised. BR to look at funding for this from HQ.

 

AOCB

 

A query was raised regarding the branch policy on travel to meetings, conferences etc. It was generally agred that the lowest price option was to be used unless there were sound reasons not to. SS/DW to look at issuing guidance to activists to clarify this.

 

Date of next meeting

 

The next Branch meeting will take place on 7^th March 2006 at 11am in the Dumfries Office.