Proposed Changes - Revenues and Benefits / Contact Centre

Since the last update The GMB has attended three further meetings, a joint meeting with RBT Management and the Transformation and Strategic Partnerships Manager and two meeting between the Union and RBT.

At the meeting with RBT on 24th November, discussions took place around a directive from the RMBC Client team ensuring the concerns GMB have raised around the detriment to staff are resolved satisfactorily.

We attended a meeting with RBT this morning to discuss GMB members issues, present at this meeting were:

• Eric Batty - GMB

• Lee Simpson - GMB

• Neil Morris - GMB

• Project Managers - BT

• Service Manager - RBT

• Human Resourse Manager - RBT

Proposals were put forward that would in part address the Band H post holders currently in place in the contact centre.

The GMB is disappointed that our concerns regarding the Band F posts have not been addressed, and therefore we are no further forward in our concerns being resolved satisfactorily.

The client team also have their concerns regarding the BPR project and have sent the following communication to RBT:

"I've had a chance to review the performance document you asked Ian McGovern to send through to me yesterday which outlined RBT's response to the Council's reasonable requests for performance metrics. Unfortunately this response takes us no further forward and gives me no confidence in the process you are undertaking. The Council obviously cannot allow changes of this significance to happen to one of its critical services, and which affects a number of its staff, without this confidence being high."

Since being made aware of RBT's proposals, my team has spent a lot of time and effort in trying to assist RBT move this project in the right direction to achieve an outcome that satisfied all parties and I know that others have too, such as Trade Union colleagues and the staff in the services. Unfortunately this lengthy process has not moved us in the right direction and the Council cannot see how further discussions on this with RBT will prove fruitful.

Therefore, can RBT please cease any further work on this particular BPR project with immediate effect. I've copied relevant stakeholders in to this message so they are aware of this and would ask you to confirm to me by return that you have communicated the same message to all your relevant staff.

If you need to have further dialogue on this then it would probably be most appropriate to do so via the existing partnership routes which you are familiar with."

It is encouraging at this stage that RMBC holds these views and seems committed to protecting it's secondees.

However the Management's side response when asked as to the implications of this directive was not in our opinion helpful and gave no indication of the intention to comply.

The GMB are totally dissatisfied with the response we received from the BT Project Managers and we will be relaying this to the RMBC Client Team and Elected Members.

Regards

Eric

Monday 9th November

Wednesday 14th October

Wednesday 23rd September

Wednesday 16th September