Pay and Pensions

Dear Member,

As you are no doubt aware, Thirteen senior management have announced changes to our pensions and have brought their pay offer to the table.

They announced their proposal to be their full and final offer. Thirteen will be sending out an ‘opinion poll’ to gauge thoughts on the offer to all non-union members. Those of you who pay union membership by Direct Debit may receive this poll.

Unison are already in the process of balloting their members with a recommendation to accept Thirteen’s offer. Your Unite Reps are taking a different approach, We will be balloting Unite members, but we believe you, as members should have a full understanding of the pay offer and the change to pensions; the implications of what is on the table before we do that.  

Thirteen’s pay offer 2022/23

Proposal’s agreed:

·         Having your birthday off as an additional day’s leave

·         3% Consolidated pay increase

·         Improving access to Hudson Quay and TRC

·         Welfare Hubs up to standard

·         Better promotion of Thirteen’s Learning and Development offer

·         Blocking out time in diaries to carry out Learning and Development training in a supported environment

·         Better promoting Thirteen’s health and wellbeing offer.

Proposal’s Thirteen will ‘look at’ over the next few months:

·         Looking at working week and whether it is feasible to reduce this to 35 hours

·         How practical it would be to implement a four-day working week

·         Look to see if it is appropriate to offer a home allowance that provides something different to the tax relief offered by HMRC

·         Look at introducing a subsistence allowance to pay for things like coffees when meeting colleagues when out and about.

The only concrete part of the offer is 3% consolidated increase and the extra days holiday. Improved access to buildings, promotion of wellbeing and Learning and Development should be something Thirteen does anyway to help you have ‘great days at work’, it should not constitute part of a pay deal.

Mention of a four-day week, a 35-hour working week and the other proposal’s Thirteen are going to ‘look at’ is not part of the deal.

Inflation (RPI) is currently at 6%. This is how much your food shopping and utilities etc has increased by. The offer of 3% falls far short of this. If wage increases do not match inflation, in real terms this is a pay cut.

It is important to remember the following points:

·         In 2019, Ian Wardle received a 27% pay rise, taking his salary up to £215’000. Our CEO earns as much in a month as it takes our lowest paid colleagues to earn in a year.

·         Many colleagues have seen their workload increase after the last two restructures. Many of us are working longer hours to meet targets. This isn’t paid as overtime and often we’re too busy to take the time back in lieu.

·         Many of us worked on the front line during the pandemic risking our own health and that of our families.

·         Many office staff and others who have been working from home are in effect paying Thirteen’s utility bills. We have seen bills soar.

·         Petrol is costing us more because we can’t claim milage from home.

·         Colleagues on SHPS pension scheme will lose a significant amount of money due to the changes in pension contributions.

Changes to Pensions

If you have an LGPS pension, there will be no change to your pension at the moment. Thirteen have explained that the SHPS pension scheme is no longer viable. If you are in SHPS, your pension will be transferred to Thirteen’s own, new pension scheme. If you are on SHPS 1/60th Thirteen will pay 18.4% and your contribution will increase by up to 7%. If you are on SHPS 1/120th Thirteen will pay 8.4% and your contribution will increase by up to 4.32%.

Ultimately, for colleagues on the SHPS pension scheme, the rise in pension contributions will cost more even with a 3% pay rise.

We do appreciate there is a lot of information to digest. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact any of your Workplace Reps (email info@unitene407-12.co.uk or m.07947830031).

To ensure that you receive your ballot paper please update us with any change of address, email and contact number.

Thank you

Your Unite Workplace Reps at Thirteen