Jumping the gun?

http://www.unison.org.uk/news/have-your-say-local-government-members-urged

UNISON members familiar with Rule B.2.2 will know that we are a member-led trade union.

This afternoon we received a lesson in what this means in practice.

At 14.54 the story to which I link above appeared on the UNISON website. It says that consultation on the pay proposals will begin tomorrow. This is news to branches who had been told consultation would begin next week.

At 15.37 an email went out to elected members of the UNISON National Joint Council (NJC) Committee went out asking for responses by midday tomorrow (16 October) confirming that the Committee members are happy with a timetable that will require members to respond to branches so that branches can report their results to Regions by 5pm on Wednesday 12 November.

The circular to Committee members does not give them a deadline within which to respond if they are not happy with this fairly tight timetable (which is intended, for no obvious reason, to match the timetable which the Local Government Association (LGA) have set to consult local authorities as to whether the "proposals‎" will even become an "offer").

Branches do ‎not yet have adequate details of the precise meaning of the proposals (particularly not as they relate to the Inner or Outer London pay spines or in areas in receipt of fringe allowances). Nor have we been told the question which we are to put on ballot papers.

Still, we know our Union has great confidence in us as it has publicised that we will commence consultation with our members tomorrow.

Branches need to gear up to maximise turn out to reject these appalling proposals.

‎

Update at 16.54

Thanks to UNISON colleagues for correcting an error in the post to which I link above (which had referred to the pay proposals as an "offer"). That correction was made within ten minutes of my pointing it out to the Website Manager.

If only the proposals themselves could be subject to favourable amendment as easily!