Geoban april mag 2015

VOTE ON 7 MAY

Telephone: 01442 891 122www.advance-union.org

WOMENFOUGHTFOR

YOURRIGHTTOVOTE!

A D V A N C E – Y O U R V O I C E A T W O R K

GeobanN E W S

I S S U E 7 | S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

2 GEOBAN news spring 2015

PublishedbyAdvance,2ndFloor,16/17HighStreet,Tring,HertsHP235AH

telephone: 01442 891122fax: 01442 891133Email: [email protected]

Allarticles©advancemagazine2015ortheauthor.Thecontentsmaynotbereproducedwithoutpermission.Writers’viewsarenotnecessarilythoseofAdvance.

Editor:LindaRolph

Design&production:www.design-mill.co.uk

Coverphotograph:EverettCollection/MaryEvans

6CONTENTSuPdAtE: Pay & bonuses 4An update on pay negotiations for Geoban employees

use your vote! 6 A privilege or a right?

social Media Policy 7Know the risks

A decline in health 8& safety at work The results of several recent studies

Group income 9Protection scheme For employees whose primary pension arrangements are the SRP

Rep chat 10 We talk to Joann Louise O’Neill

Our reps 10Do you need help at work?

Gilly’s world 11

2015 Recruitmentcampaign 11WIN a Red Letter Day

Advance travel club 12Printedonrecycledpaper

4

Inthisissue...

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7

Spring2015 GEOBAN news 3

Spring is here – Horray! I’m not sure where the first quarter of the year has gone to, as I am sure you also wonder.

However, change goes on and Geoban will be pursuing their plans and objectives for 2015 with your help.

TIME FOR CHANGEChange is in the air, not only for work but in life in general.

With the General Election just around the corner, life is set to change again. This is one of the most important elections for some time. Irrespective of who wins, it is important that everyone uses their vote, especially women who, if not for the Suffragette movement, may not have won the right to vote. I strongly believe that if you don’t vote, you cannot moan. Millions of people around the world have no say in making their country fair for everyone. We have that right and should use it.

THE GEOBAN CONFERENCEI was very disappointed to be unable to attend this year’s Geoban Conference due to a foot operation. However, the feedback I received from Rose O’Neill and Linda Bartle (the members of my team who attended) and from many other people was that it was inspiring in the way that it was built around

people. I personally believe that it would be beneficial for some G1 and G2 people to be randomly selected to attend a future conference to benefit from the messages given. I will make sure that I am at next year’s event!

BONUSWe know that unions don’t negotiate on bonuses or incentive schemes. Advance feels that this is a very Twentieth century approach. Trades unions should be on Remuneration boards so that they have the opportunity to speak up and be Your Voice at Work for the very people at the front line, the ones that

make the difference. It is difficult to find a scheme that everyone feels is fair – however, it is not impossible. You need to put yourself in the shoes of the people on lower salaries who, over the last 3 years have seen austerity take its toll on them and their families more than anyone else.

At Advance, we also have our own strategic objectives for 2015, our main priority being to be Your Voice at Work. We recently sent out a survey to our members in Santander Bank regarding what they would like to see improve in their working lives. We now have all the information from this survey and are meeting with Santander to discuss the points raised. It is our intention to send out a similar survey to our members in Geoban during the year – watch this space!

As Linda Bartle says, “Geoban is the backbone of the bank”. Not only do you help customers directly but you also provide a great service.

Brands are titles, it is the people who work for the brands that are the heroes!

Until the next time,

linda Rolph, General secretary

Evening helpline ContactLindaeveryWednesday8.30–10pm07850 742340

4

“GEOBAN is thE BAcKBONE Of thE BANK. NOt ONly dO yOu hElP custOMERs diREctly But yOu AlsO PROvidE A GREAt sERvicE”

it is with great sadness that we have to advise those members, who may not already be aware, of the death of christine Gale. christine was an active member and friend to Advance over many years.linda Bartle represented Advance at christine’s funeral which was held on the 13th March at cottingley hall crematorium, leeds.Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time.

chRistiNE GAlE

Welcome

HELP AT WORK


The split of employees in the different Job-Bands are as follows:

● G1 – 74.43% ● G2 – 18.12% ● G3 – 6.07% ● G4 – 1.37%

As shown, the biggest Job-Bands are G1 and G2. The majority of people are in Operational areas with a predominantly female workforce working fulltime hours. Over a quarter of staff are on Annualised Hours contracts – this applies mainly to people working in Customer Contact centres, Collections and SUK Retail Operations.

30% of Geoban people have worked for the company for 10 – 20 years, very impressive, and 70% have been employed by Geoban for over 5 years.

Advance was pleased to see that people development has been a priority: for example, between September 2013 – August 2014 there have been 103 grade promotions that resulted in a grade change and a total of 324 development moves. Geoban’s commitment to developing people is also reflected by the fact that 857 people have been enrolled on BTEC programmes. This follows the fact that there have been 640 successful graduates in the

Asyoumaybeaware,Paynegotiationstookplacein2013forboth2014and2015.AdvancewantedtoprovideyouwithsomeinformationrelatingtoGeobanpeople.

uPdAtE

2013/2014 BTEC New Operations Academy. Well done to all of you!

In focussing on Performance ratings for year-end 2014, Advance met with management to discuss all issues relating to appraisal ratings given to people. We noted that more than 90% of all Geoban employees received an SP rating or higher for the year which, considering how hard people work and the commitment that they show, this figure was to be expected. Furthermore, less than 1% of staff were rated as IP and 99.3% of all employees are eligible for the 2015 Pay Review. Specifically, of the 263 (9.2%) Geoban employees who received less than SP, only 22 (0.7%) received IP and 242 (8.5%) received a CP rating. Geoban have given Advance assurances that the relevant Performance Improvement Plans are in place to

Pay&bonuses

PAy ANd BONusEs

FIGURE1:2013BONUSRANGES

“NO tRAdEs uNiON cAN NEGOtiAtE ON BONusEs. AdvANcE BEliEvEs thAt this is A vERy twENtiEth cENtuRy cONcEPt ANd thAt uNiON OfficiAls shOuld hAvE A PREsENcE ON REMuNERAtiON BOARds.”

iP cP sP OP EP

G1 0% 1.50% 7-9% 10-13% 14-17%

G2 0% 0-2% 7-10% 11-15% 15-19%

G3 0% 0-3% 8-13% 13-19% 19-25%

G4 0% 0-4% 11-18% 18-26% 25-32%


help these people to improve their performance to an SP standard.

PAYAs well as getting their pay rise, people in Bands G1 and G2 also received a You Choose allowance.

Encouragingly, 100% of employees with an IP rating at the end of 2013 improved their performance to CP or SP by mid-year and received a Pay Review backdated to 1 July. Specifically, of the 10 individuals who received an IP rating at the end of 2013, 7 received an increase backdated to 1 July 2014, 1 transferred to NewDay and 2 left before the increase applied.

Advance will be discussing Appraisal Appeals at our next meeting with senior management. As we continue to say, people have nothing to lose by appealing against a rating that they do not agree with. However we respect the fact that this is an individual choice.

BONUSESNo trades union can negotiate on bonuses. Advance believes that this is a very twentieth century concept and that union officials should have a presence on Remuneration Boards.

The tables (figure 1 and 2) show Bonus ranges for 2013 compared to those for 2014. You will clearly see an improvement between the


iP cP sP OP EP

G1 0% 1.5-5% 7-11% 11-15% 15-20%

G2 0% 0-5.5% 7-12% 12-16% 16-21%

G3 0% 0-6% 8-15% 15-20% 20-26%

G4 0% 0-12% 12-21% 21-29% 26-37%

FIGURE2:2014BONUSRANGES

“A REviEw Of PAy PROGREssiON fOR G2 will AlsO tAKE PlAcE duRiNG 2015. AdvANcE will KEEP yOu uPdAtEd ON ANy dEvElOPMENts iN this AREA.”

2 years. However, as bonuses now form a major part of individuals’ reward, we feel that bonus payments should be significant to ensure that they sufficiently reward everyone to be worthwhile. At the next meeting we will be asking for the figures relating to discretion on bonuses. We will update you in the Summer edition of our magazine.

PAY PROGRESSIONWith regard to Pay Progression, a review is on-going in Collections & Retail Operations. A review of Pay Progression for G2 will also take place during 2015. Advance will keep you updated on any developments in this area.

In 2016 Pay negotiations will revert back to 1 April.

WIN up to

£1,000 every month

if you would like to join our monthly lottery, please fill in the details below:

Name

Number of chances (maximum of 10) at £1 per chance

Staff number

Signature

Date

You must be a member of Advance to take part in the monthly lottery.

If you are already paying your advance subscriptions by Direct Debit we will take your lottery payments from your existing mandate. If you do not pay your advance subscriptions by Direct Debit please contact us for a mandate form.

Return this form to: Advance, 2nd floor, 16/17 high street, tring, herts hP23 5Ah

✃


ELECTION

W ith the General Election only a few weeks away, it is essential that

everyone uses their democratic right to vote. It is very worrying to think that a substantial number of people in the UK do not use their vote. This country has faced the biggest squeeze on living standards since Victorian times with record numbers of families relying on Food Banks. Your vote is your opportunity to have your say on how the country is run.

Because everyone has the right to vote, many individuals take this liberty for granted. In many countries, rule of law is imposed on people who have no say in how they are governed. Even in this country, the right for all women to vote was only won after a long and difficult struggle for women. Women were denied the right to vote for many years and the Suffragette movement only won the universal right to vote after many women lost their liberty and, in some cases, their lives.

Much of the suffragettes’ struggle was through constitutional campaigning. This was an important

approach in that it showed that women were competent in the political arena and, as this became clear, it brought the concept of women’s rights to vote closer to acceptance.

In campaigning, women also used civil disobedience to draw attention to their cause. They chained themselves to civic buildings, shouted down male political speakers and disrupted public events. The most prominent disruption took place at the Epsom Derby on 4 June 1913 when Emily Davison was killed after throwing herself under King George V’s horse during a race.

Many women were imprisoned for their actions. Of these, some went on hunger strike – in such cases they would be released from prison only to be re-imprisoned after they had recovered. Many women who went on hunger strike were force-fed, suffering internal damage to their organs. Eventually, women over the age of 21 gained the right to vote in 1928.

The plight of women’s right to vote is still a major issue in many developing countries today with women seen as second class citizens. UNICEF has launched the Gender

Action Plan, a 3-year plan which runs from 2014 – 17 and which aims to address gender equality globally. One of the key issues of gender inequality in many developing countries relates to women having no voting rights or, in some countries where they do have the right to vote, being intimidated into not attending the voting booth. In such countries, voting is still very much a privilege rather than a right.

When looking at the struggle that women have had in winning the right to vote (and in many countries, continue to have), it is disturbing to note that over two million women in the UK did not use their hard-won right to vote in the last election.

Aprivilegeoraright?

ThiscountryhasfacedthebiggestsqueezeonlivingstandardssinceVictoriantimeswithrecordnumbersoffamiliesrelyingonFoodBanks.Yourvoteisyouropportunitytohaveyoursayonhowthecountryisrun.

REMEMBERyour vote is your opportunity to have your say – don’t throw away all the hard work and sacrifice that women have made in the past. vote on 7 May.

Aprivilegeoraright? use your vote!

KNOw thE RisKs



Whatmaybefreedomofspeechinanindividual’seyesmaybeapotentiallydisciplinaryacttoGeoban.

KNOw thE RisKssOciAl MEdiA POlicy

Social Media is an integral part of most peoples’ lives today. Use of these mediums has given people greater

freedom of speech to a potentially global audience. However, what may be freedom of speech in an individual’s eyes may be a potentially disciplinary act to Geoban. With an ever-increasing choice of media forums, members risk facing disciplinary action for the misuse of Social Media. Misuse of Social Media can take many forms but, essentially, it relates to compromising Geoban (either the company, customers or members of staff) in a public forum. Social Media is such a wide phenomenon that it is impossible to give a comprehensive list of all potential breaches of the policy that governs it. Examples of such breaches are:● Making offensive comments about Geoban or individuals who work for the company,● Using information received at work to contact a customer for personal reasons (for example, to ask them to become a Facebook “friend”),● Posting messages that could be construed as giving financial advice or commenting on Geoban’s services.

Advance is aware that “Social Engineering” is an increasing problem. Social Engineering is a practice adopted by criminals and fraudsters who use Social Media to get information on individuals (for example, their role in Geoban) and try to use this to breach security checks or make inappropriate contact with people. This is one

reason why it is wiser to no reference to your place of employment. Remember that with most Social Media sites it is very difficult to guarantee total confidentiality on your postings, even if you have Privacy settings on your postings.

Advance’s advice in relation to the use of Social Media forums is:● Prevention is better than cure – don’t make any reference to Geoban or the fact that you work for the company unless it is in a professional capacity (for example, if it is part of your role or you are using LinkedIn) and, even then, only give basic information about your position in the company. The less you write – the less problems it can cause!● Don’t post photographs of your workplace online as (A) confidential information (on, for example, notice boards or computer screens) may be legible and (B) it could be mis-construed that you are representing Geoban.

● Use the “Newspaper Rule” – if you wouldn’t want your comment to be published in a newspaper or your parents to read it, don’t post it online.● If you post a comment that you later consider to be unwise, contact a member of Advance’s senior team who will be able to give you advice on what course of action to take. All calls are treated confidentially.

Social Media is developing at such a fast pace that Geoban will shortly be launching a new policy on this subject, which will be reviewed with Advance on a regular basis. Advance understands that Social Media is part of most people’s everyday lives but we want to ensure that this medium of communication enhances our members’ lives rather than place their job security at risk.

if you have any queries, please contact the Advance office on 01442 891122. All calls are treated confidentially.

“with MOst sOciAl MEdiA sitEs it is vERy difficult tO GuARANtEE tOtAl cONfidENtiAlity ON yOuR POstiNGs EvEN if yOu hAvE PRivAcy sEttiNGs ON yOuR POstiNGs”

HELP AT WORK


Many Trades Union reports have cited a cavalier attitude on the part of the coalition

Government as being the reason for this decline. The conditions which caused the greatest rise in sickness absence were work-related stress and musculoskeletal disorders. In looking at the fact that illness and injury costs the economy £14.2 billion in 2012–13, Francis O’Grady (General Secretary of the TUC) stated that these figures “should be a wake-up call demanding stronger regulation and enforcement for rogue bosses who put their staff at risk”.

Although statistics show a fall in non-fatal cases, this picture is misleading due to changes in the way that such cases are recorded, these changes being introduced by the coalition Government. One such change is that some major injuries which used to be recorded no longer have to be reported. Another change is that the absence period requiring accidents to be reported has increased from 3 days

to 7 days, thus reducing the number accidents that are reported. Sarah Page, a Health & Safety officer at the HSE Inspectors’ union (Prospect) reported that this trend was due to “widespread neglect by employers to proactively manage work-related stress” and “aggressive sickness absence and performance management systems”: in such cases, people are often afraid to go on sick leave for fear of hitting “trigger points”, further reducing reported absence figures.

The negative impact of the coalition Government’s attitude towards Health & Safety is also reflected in the comments made by Hugh Robertson (TUC Senior Policy Officer for Health & Safety) when he said, “it is very likely that we are beginning to see the results of the government-forced changes to inspection regimes and the cuts in the HSE and local authority budgets”. Specifically, the cuts that he was referring to were a 40% reduction in funding for local authorities who are joint regulators of workplace Health & Safety with the HSE. This, in turn, has resulted in a reduction of 90% in local authority inspections.

The cut in budgets for Health & Safety regulators has also had a detrimental effect on the enforcement of regulations. Susan Murray, National Health & Safety Adviser for Unite stated, “Tory ministerial attacks such as wanting to ‘kill off health and safety culture for good’ and ‘red tape’ send a dangerous message to some employers who may now think they do not need to do anything to protect their staff”. The fact that the

coalition Government has stopped proactive inspections by the HSE and local authorities in “low risk” industries has also been cited as a cause for alarm particularly as such industries (which include transport, education, health and social care) often have higher than average rates of ill-health. This has been cited as a key policy change that has affected Health & Safety in schools and needs to be reversed to reduce sickness absence figures. This downward spiral can only be reversed by the HSE and local authorities having adequate funding to enforce robust safety practices in the workplace coupled with the ability to apply penalties when these practices are breached.

Another growing problem cited by many trades unions is that many Health & Safety representatives are finding it increasingly difficult to get time off to carry out their role. Often the “day job” was cited as an excuse to deny representatives their right to carry out their role, particularly in allowing them to attend Health & Safety meetings.

Perhaps the most poignant comment came from Judith Hackitt, the Chair of the HSE when she said, “We should remind ourselves what these numbers actually mean – the number of times in the last year someone went out to work and either did not return home to their loved ones or came home with life-changing injuries”. In light of this sentiment, Advance endorses the need for adequate Health & Safety standards in all workplaces.

A dEcliNE iN

At wORKhEAlth & sAfEtySeveralrecentstudieshavefoundadeclineinHealth&Safetystandardsintheworkplaceinrecentyears.

hEAlth & sAfEty


As you may be aware, during the Pay Negotiations in November 2013, when the current two-

year deal was agreed, and following representations from Advance, the Bank made a commitment to implement an income protection scheme for employees whose primary pension arrangements are the SRP (Santander Retirement Plan). To be eligible for this benefit you must have been in the SRP for at least a year. This GIP scheme is not applicable for those active members of the Final Salary Scheme (Defined Benefit Scheme) or Alliance & Leicester Defined Contribution Scheme. The reason for this is due to the fact that those schemes already have ill-health retirement benefits, whereas the SRP Scheme does not have any provisions for ill-health retirement.

You will be aware at the time of reading this magazine that the Bank have announced details of the new Group Income Protection Scheme (GIP Scheme) which came into effect from 1 March 2015. We are pleased to be able to share some of the high-level arrangements with our members.

The Bank’s proposals involve a combined income protection scheme and early retirement arrangements for employees in the SRP who are unable to return to work after a long period of sickness absence. This scheme will positively impact around 20,500 active or eligible employees who can join the SRP. To be clear, if you have opted out of the SRP you will not be eligible

if you are reading this article and you are not a member of the santander Retirement Plan , you may wish to consider joining to ensure that you have a pension in retirement and that you benefit from the protection of the scheme also.

if you have any further questions in relation to this scheme, please do not hesitate to contact the Advance helpline on 01442 891122.

for this benefit and will have no cover. Additionally if your primary pension arrangement is not the SRP (you are an active member of one of the other schemes mentioned herein) you will not be eligible for this benefit, but will be covered under your own pension plan.

So what will this new benefit look like? Following representations from Advance, the Bank has developed a plan with insurers UNUM for those employees in the SRP scheme (for at least one year) who could be off work due to long-term sickness. The scheme provides income protection payments, together with specialist external support and rehabilitation to help facilitate a successful return to work where possible. This will mean that employees in this scheme will be able to receive payments of up to two years of income protection payments of 50% of their salary at the time of going off with long term sickness. These payments would start once contractual benefits such as Company Sick Pay ends. There will be no changes to your sickness provisions details in the Sickness & Absence Policy.

To be eligible for this benefit you must be working normally (not against medical advice) before the start of the period of sickness absence leading to any claim. So if you are already off sick when the plan came into effect on 1 March 2015 you will not be eligible to claim the benefit. However once you return to work and are working normally, you will be eligible to

AdvancemadeacommitmenttoimplementanincomeprotectionschemeforemployeeswhoseprimarypensionarrangementsaretheSRP.

Protection scheme

claim if you experience a new period of long-term sickness abscence.

All claims will be made through the insurance company and once you have been continuously absent on sick leave for a period of time (normally around two months) you will be contacted about how to make a claim.

If, after two years of income protection, employees are still unable to return to work then lump sum payments may be made, depending on the level of incapacity (full and partial). Full details of this scheme can be found at wearesantander.co.uk

I’m sure you will agree that this represents a huge benefit for eligible employees.


tion scheme Group income


if you need to speak to any of the representatives below, please contact the Advance Office on 01442 891122 who will contact them on your behalf.

linda Bartle full time Advance union consultant 07595 411956Joann O’Neill Milton KeynesKaren Bell sheffielddamien Brown sheffieldclaire croxall Milton Keyneshazel freeman NewcastleMichelle swaile Newcastle

dO yOu NEEd hElP At wORK?OuR REPs

REPREsENtAtivEs

what is your name?JoannLouiseO’Neill

what is your Job title? CollectionsAdvisor.what is your role in Advance? IamtheNECRepforGeoban.

what are the most common issues that Advance members in your workplace face? Themostcommonissuesarerelatedtosicknessandtargets,butIthinktheseareissuesacrossthecompany.what websites do you use when not at work? IlikeSocialNetworksbutIamafanofAmazon.Iloveabargain!what do you like most about your role in Advance?Ilikehelpingpeople.Ilikebeingthevoiceofmymembers.Iunderstandthatsometimesit’shardtospeakupwhichiswhatIamtherefor.why do you believe that employees should join Advance? It’sverydifficulttoargueyourcasewhenyouarefacingyourmanager.Inaddition,yougetamazingbenefits–theHolidayClubisgreat.if you had one work-related wish, what would it be? ForbetterpayandbenefitsforG1employees.

why do you think it is important for people to use their vote?Yourvoteissoimportantbecauseitdetermineswhowillrunthiscountry.Weallcomplainaboutthepriceofpetrol,CouncilTaxandalltheotherthingsthatcostalot.Thepeoplewhodecidethatarethepoliticalpartywhoareinpower.Asanationthatisourdecision.Useyourvote.Makeadifference!what 5 people (living or historical, famous or who you know) would you invite to dinner and why? HarperLeebecauseshewrotetoKillaMockingbird.Itwasherfirstbook,written50yearsagoandshewonaPulitzerPrizeforit.Forafirsttimewriter50yearsagoandtobeawoman,thatwasanunbelievableachievement.MartinLutherKingasIwouldlovetoknowwhathethoughtofsocietytoday.WinstonChurchill,becauseIwouldwanttoknowwhathethinksofmoderndaypolitics.JeremyClarksonasIpersonallythinkthatheisalegend.EvaCassidy–whatanamazingvoiceshehad!

Joann Louise O’Neill

REP CHAT


2015 RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN RECRUIT one new member and get in with a chance of winning a Red Letter Day of your choice!

A Champagne dinner in the Shard to a thrilling ride in a racing car of your dreams!

● Your name will be entered for every new person that you recruit. ● Each prize is worth £100 and you pick your prize which can be,

for example, dinner at the Shard, champagne, afternoon tea and many more prizes! GOOD LUCK!

If Advance receives a minimum of 40 new members between March 30th and 30th July, we will enter you into our 2015 Campaign Prize Draw. There are two Red Letter days to be won and the lucky winners will be drawn on 31 August. Terms and conditions of entry: You must be a member when this draw takes place. Each member who you have recruited must still be an Advance member at the time of the draw. (For those in Northern Ireland and Scotland where the options are not so varied we can offer a cash equivalent prize).

Are you a member Jack?

Yes, really helpful.

No, not yet but I keep meaning to.

There is so much information in Geoban News. That’s no excuse, joining

is so easy. You can do it online or by calling the

Advance office.

Gilly’sWorld

RECRUIT one new member and get in with a chance of winning a Red Letter Day of your choice!RECRUIT one new member and get in with a chance of winning a Red Letter Day of your choice!

WIN A RED LETTER DAYOFYOURCHOICE!


Gilly’s World

12 GEOBAN news spring 201512 GEOBAN news spring 2015

Geoban april mag 2015

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