Your branch withdrew from the negotiating and consultation meetings, the JNCC, due to what we regard as the erasure of the trade union’s recognition, position and influence. Requests to amend the agenda to bring much-needed data to the forum; stats of sickness absence, ongoing planning for upcoming org change projects, and the status of staff in the redeployment pool, were met with resistance. The employer side would much rather hold multiple meetings across multiple work streams which stretches TU resources and results in a lack of full participation and consultation with your union.

In order to try and rectify this the UNISON team withdrew from JNCC and asked the new Director of People & Development to work with us to take the JNCC forward, to be a more constructive and valued avenue for the voice of staff.

Meanwhile, divisions and departments across Scotland have taken it as an opportunity to make plans without due consultation, to ignore us in working with staff and to continue with their disregard for our employment rights, ignoring timelines in policies and SOPS, to peruse our members to dismissal without due regard to anything beyond their own aggregated interpretation of morality and law.

Action required

As we work toward trying to improve industrial relations with the SPA and Police Scotland I am sending you this message to ask that you immediately check your contact details and membership record, to ensure they are current and correct.

UNISON must now begin to plan for industrial action and I may soon be writing to you to consult you on a proposal to strike.