Plymouth resolves row with union over collective agreement and recognition

Plymouth City Council and Unison have resolved their dispute over recognition and the signing of a collective agreement.

The council has re-recognised the union – the largest among its workforce – after Unison signed an amended agreement.

Plymouth derecognised Unison last month following its failure to sign the original agreement. The council claimed delays in implementation of its proposed changes – which included removal of contractual overtime and simplification of a number of allowances and changes – had cost it £300,000. The GMB and Unite unions had signed the agreement but Unison did not.

Unison in turn warned Plymouth of a possible legal challenge to the derecognition. It had argued that some workers could have lost up to 20% of their income as a result of the proposals, and the changes potentially discriminated against some members of staff.

The union said the new agreement had reduced its legal concerns. A meeting of its Plymouth branch agreed to back the deal, on the condition that the local authority restored recognition with immediate effect.

Councillor Ian Bowyer, Cabinet member for Finance, Property and People at Plymouth, said: “I am pleased that we have secured a successful outcome by continuing dialogue with the trade unions. This agreement has always been about trying to protect services and jobs and I hope that we can now move forward and continue to focus on delivering services to people in Plymouth.”

Unison south-west regional secretary Joanne Kaye said: "This has been a difficult and long process for all of our members. We recognise the anxiety members have about their jobs but we also know that these changes will cause hardship for many members and their families. We resolve to carry on defending our members' conditions in these difficult times."

Stuart Fegan, Senior Organiser, GMB, said: "We are pleased that we have now reached an agreement with the Council which is both legally and industrially sustainable in line with the result of our recent ballot.”