Your Choice Care Workers update 23 July 2013

On Monday 22 July UNISON met with Your Choice to discuss a number of critical concerns we have about the proposals and the current staffing situation in Your Choice workplaces.

Voluntary Redundancy

UNSION received confirmation that all staff seeking voluntary redundancy had now left and the proposed management changes have been completed. We understand not all of these posts have been recruited to and external adverts are going out.

Valley Way Consultation

We were informed consultation with service users, parents/carers is being carried out on a one-to-one basis for the Valley Way proposals. The consultation is expected to run to mid August, We have sought conformation of the actual date the consultation closes. We were told any decisions on this consultation exercise will be made at the end of August. If there are new changes to the original proposals for staff, consultation with the trade unions will begin at this point. We asked if there was further consultation would it be a 30 day consultation. We also sought the date when the implementation of the outcome of the proposals for Valley Way would be carried out.

Supported Living consultation

This next phase of consultation with service users, parents/carers regarding Supported Living is not expected to begin before the start of September and not expected to end before mid October. If following the consultation there are any differences in the original proposals for staff, consultation with the trade unions will begin at this point. Again we asked for confirmation as to whether the staff consultation would be a 30 day consultation. Finally we asked when the implementation of the outcome of the proposals would be carried out.

Shocking news on consultation.

UNISON has to report that in the meeting we were informed the consultation with service users, parents/carers will not include discussions about the proposed changes to salaries and terms and conditions of staff.

It is not clear to UNISON what Your Choice are consulting service users, parents/carers on. Given that Your Choice ignored UNISON’s advice that they should consult service users, parents/carers on 28 February 2013, it seems that once again service users, parents/carers are not going to have the critical information in this consultation process. We were informed of an involvement of a third party, we have asked who they are and what role are they playing.  We were also told Service users will be receiving an easy to read formatted consultation document and their opinions will also be sought.

“It is UNISON’s view this is a serious and fundamental flaw to the consultation process by omitting this critical information.”

BILS

Service users, parents/carers will be consulted only on the new venue for the service once alternative options have been identified. There is no timetable for this to commence at present. UNISON raised serious concern about the staffing levels for this service. We reported the service has now reduced from 10 to 3 staff. We raised issues around cover arrangements, responsibility for the building (recognising who has liability) and lone working. We stated Health & Safety measures in place are not robust or clear enough. Your Choice responded by saying service user numbers are down by some 50% and added they could not now afford to employ the full establishment. This was worrying news in that Your Choice do not seem to have been able to have secured the growth it urgently needs if the service is to survive.

Staff enhancement payments

Your Choice confirmed that any changes to enhancements (weekend/shift working) have been put on hold.

Benchmarking staff pay

We were informed consultants have been engaged to look at the benchmarking exercise and that they are looking at all issues around salaries and terms and conditions. Once they have their proposals and the board has considered their preferred option, consultation will open with the trade unions. We have asked for the name of the consultancy firm.

Compulsory Redundancy letters

Your Choice has sent letters to staff informing them of their position regarding compulsory redundancy. Our members who have been sacked as result of the Your Choice proposals have asked to be able to leave straight away. However Your Choice have told these staff that they must work their notice.

UNISON objected to this and queried why Your Choice Board allowed all the staff given voluntary redundancy to leave straightaway. It was this decision to let these staff go that has now created an unsafe and unstable working environment.

Health & Safety

UNISON  raised serious concerns regarding health and safety matters. We identified over use of ‘agency’ and “as and when” hours as being inherently unsafe in terms of consistency and the need for ongoing induction of new agency staff etc. UNISON felt the casualisation of the workforce is fostering a workplace whereby staff who are reliant on either ‘agency work’ or ‘as & when’ hours are less likely to raise health & safety matters in the workforce for fear of losing hours. To remedy this situation UNISON said it is critical to stabilise the workforce as quickly as possible. The first step would be to withdraw all at risk letters for support workers/remaining staff.

YCB said they would review this request and decide whether to withdraw these letters or not.

UNISON said it was clear there is a surplus of support worker roles across the services and we also believe permanent jobs can already now be identified as the volume of work being covered by agency and temporary staff indicates large numbers of posts are now being covered temporarily.

Finally we have requested a Health and Safety audit of all YCB settings following a serious incident involving a service user at one of the day centres.

Staffing levels at all Your Choice Settings

UNISON has requested a breakdown of the staffing establishment for each individual Your Choice workplace by job title, this should include the numbers of part-time and full-time agency staff covering vacant posts as well as the numbers of staff on as and when hours in each individual setting with a breakdown as to how many hours they work in an as and when capacity and which posts they are covering.

UNISON was disappointed to hear that whilst agency staff have been employed on short-term contracts (agency) a similar stabilising commitment has not been given to as and when staff. We want to see the prioritisation of as and when staff into permanent contracts.

Why are we where we are?

In the meeting YCB reported they regret the position they are in with respect to uncertainty around staffing levels but this was not a position they chose to being and not one of their making. UNISON disputed this as in the very first consultation meeting 28th of February UNISON strongly recommended consultation was carried out with parents/carers. YCB chose not to do so.

UNISON members

UNISON has been conducting a telephone survey of all of its members working for Your Choice in order we can directly speak to each member about their concerns and the support they need from UNISON. This has been an important exercise in informing our branch and keeping us up to date with what is an unsettling and changing workplace. It is important our members are able to feel they can contact the branch if they have any queries or concerns.