Re-Organisation Update #4
We have now had a first meeting with the business to discuss its reorganisation plans and next week a series of further meetings are planned.
- As a result of this meeting and other conversations the business agreed to extend the consultation period in recognition that a lot of information was still not available to make consultation meaningful.
- We also pressed the business to consult with us on a business unit level so we could take better account of the localised impacts within affected teams. The business agreed to this request and we now have a series of consultation meetings covering the affected areas at which we will attempt to understand the new structures and the roles within them.
- We have received lots of queries from members about the process and the impacts on individuals. We have informed the business that we consider that detail is still lacking and that getting answers to requests for more information is not happening quickly enough. This is a wide-ranging consultation impacting on many staff who understandably are concerned for their prospects and livelihoods. Please get in contact if you are not getting the information form the business you need.
- We have identified roles to which staff have been matched (70% or more) but the role they are matched to is at a lower grade. This is very questionable behaviour by the business and as such if you are aware of this happening, you need to take appropriate action now to protect your statutory rights. You need to file a grievance and send it to your trade union representative, (template provided). Make it clear that your substantive role continues to exist (has not disappeared) and that you object to the attempt to downgrade it under the guise of this reorganisation.
- Where new roles have been created it is important that the business fully explains the rational for this and for the grading. We also need the business to explain which tasks have been removed or added and how the role has been evaluated.
We remain deeply concerned as a trade union that Cadent have focused so much change on staff grades and those on lower salaries in the business. We are also concerned about the impact these changes will have on the ability of the business to run a safe and reliable network. We will be raising our concerns with wider stakeholders on this matter. These changes are unnecessary and Cadent continues to make huge profits.