SHEF – safety, health, environment and fire. Why would there be a crisis re the committee? After all, the committees are strongly regulated in law.
VA had a really good, legally compliant SHEF committee.
AFPAA’s committee was in breach of legislation, in my opinion.
The two organisations merged but the management group never brought the committees to the merger discussion table.
Suddenly the AFPAA committee becomes an overarching committee, and starts sending training and risk assessment edicts to Norcross and VWS – without consultation or reference to our committee. We said no, we pointed out that there had been no consultation, we pointed out that the terms of reference were (in our opinion) in breach of UK legislation.
We took it to Whitley and the CE said to his people “sort it, make sure the Union are happy.” (paraphrase)
Eventually, nothing having been done for some time, it was passed to the Norcross ExO to sort. A constitution was developed very quickly, I looked at it. We amended it. Everyone was happy… or so we thought.
A higher manager ripped it up (metaphorically).
So we are without an agreed overarching committee. What to do… what to do? Part of me wants to go straight to the HSE and ask for an improvement notice, but I am not unreasonable. We will discuss this at the next Whitley and if level heads do not prevail then I’ll go to the HSE.
Incidentally, our comrades in the ex-AFPAA PCS are being brilliant and are boycotting the ex-AFPAA committee until such time as this is sorted. Solidarity and working as one Agency – if we agreed with the principle, then perhaps we should get a bonus*…
*PCS policy opposes bonus payments and believes that all staff should be paid the rate for the job - something most of us do not get.
N.B. The alleged utterance of phrases such as “we did it in AFPAA” and “I’ll not be dictated to by the Union” have not been substantiated
VA had a really good, legally compliant SHEF committee.
AFPAA’s committee was in breach of legislation, in my opinion.
The two organisations merged but the management group never brought the committees to the merger discussion table.
Suddenly the AFPAA committee becomes an overarching committee, and starts sending training and risk assessment edicts to Norcross and VWS – without consultation or reference to our committee. We said no, we pointed out that there had been no consultation, we pointed out that the terms of reference were (in our opinion) in breach of UK legislation.
We took it to Whitley and the CE said to his people “sort it, make sure the Union are happy.” (paraphrase)
Eventually, nothing having been done for some time, it was passed to the Norcross ExO to sort. A constitution was developed very quickly, I looked at it. We amended it. Everyone was happy… or so we thought.
A higher manager ripped it up (metaphorically).
So we are without an agreed overarching committee. What to do… what to do? Part of me wants to go straight to the HSE and ask for an improvement notice, but I am not unreasonable. We will discuss this at the next Whitley and if level heads do not prevail then I’ll go to the HSE.
Incidentally, our comrades in the ex-AFPAA PCS are being brilliant and are boycotting the ex-AFPAA committee until such time as this is sorted. Solidarity and working as one Agency – if we agreed with the principle, then perhaps we should get a bonus*…
*PCS policy opposes bonus payments and believes that all staff should be paid the rate for the job - something most of us do not get.
N.B. The alleged utterance of phrases such as “we did it in AFPAA” and “I’ll not be dictated to by the Union” have not been substantiated
