Proposed by Councillor Cherry Povall

Seconded by Councillor Tony Cox

(1)  Council recognises the valuable role played by trade unions in ensuring effective industrial relations, their role in consultation and involvement in matters concerning health and safety and the unpaid hours of service given by many trade union members to wider issues affecting their colleagues.

(2)  However, Council believes that trade unions must, wherever possible, remain impartial and not be dependent on an employer for favours. Council also notes that taxpayers in Wirral are subsidising trade union activity at Wirral Council and this activity is costing £360,000 per annum. 

(3)  Council notes this includes eight full time union officials, employed by Wirral Borough Council, for the sole purpose of promoting trade unions and carrying out union activity. Council notes that a further 112 trade union stewards in the Council are given 8,458 hours of Council time to conduct union business.

(4)  Council believes that, given the state of the public finances, it is no longer fair for the taxpayer to subsidise trade unions in this way and that responsibility for funding trade union activity should rest with trade union members and trade union leaders.

Amendment submitted in accordance with Standing Order 7(2)

Proposed by Councillor Bernie Mooney

Seconded by Councillor Adrian Jones

Delete all, replace with:

(1)  Council believes it is important to recognise the important and valuable role of the trade unions in ensuring effective industrial relations, in maintaining the highest possible level of health and safety standards and ensuring training and learning opportunities through consultation and involvement.

(2)  Council notes that unions operate under legal recognition agreements which give statutory rights to elected union representatives for paid time to undertake trade union duties and to train for those duties.  These duties include negotiating terms and conditions of employment, representation at disciplinary and grievance hearings, attending health and safety meetings, and promoting learning and training needs.  Wirral Council has a trade union recognition policy with a facilities agreement which is based on Employment legislation, a National Agreement through the National Joint Council and the ACAS Code of Practice.

(3)  Council believes it is misleading to suggest that all the responsibilities of union representatives should be classed as trade union activities which should be paid for by union members, as the vast majority of work undertaken by legally elected representatives concerns duties and training directed at ensuring good standards of industrial relations, which is as beneficial to the Council and to Wirral’s Council Tax payers as it is to union members.

(4)  Council believes that to remove these rights would not only be a breach of the law, and a breach of a National Agreement, but a totally false economy which could end up costing more than it saved.

Amendment submitted in accordance with Standing Order 7(2)

Proposed by Councillor Stuart Kelly

Seconded by Councillor Dave Mitchell

Paragraph (2) - delete "and this activity is costing £360,000 per annum."

Paragraph (3) - delete final sentence and replace with "This activity is costing £191,000 (plus on costs) per annum."

Delete paragraph (4) and replace with:

(4) Council believes that the scale of investment in these services should be a reflection of workforce numbers and the duties required for adequate representation and that work to establish this should be undertaken.

Add new paragraph:

(5) Council acknowledges the work of the 112 shop stewards and the valuable role they play in representing the workforce to management on such issues as health and safety and other statutory obligations, promoting in-work learning and development and contributing to the effectiveness of the Council.

Having applied the guillotine in accordance with Standing Order 7(8) the Council did not debate this matter.

The amendment proposed by Councillor Mooney was put and lost (29:35) (One abstention).

The amendment proposed by Councillor Kelly was put and carried (38:26) (One abstention).

The substantive motion was put and carried (38:26) (One abstention).

Resolved (38:26) (One abstention) –

(1)  Council recognises the valuable role played by trade unions in ensuring effective industrial relations, their role in consultation and involvement in matters concerning health and safety and the unpaid hours of service given by many trade union members to wider issues affecting their colleagues.

(2)  However, Council believes that trade unions must, wherever possible, remain impartial and not be dependent on an employer for favours. Council also notes that taxpayers in Wirral are subsidising trade union activity at Wirral Council.

(3)  Council notes this includes eight full time union officials, employed by Wirral Borough Council, for the sole purpose of promoting trade unions and carrying out union activity. This activity is costing £191,000 (plus on costs) per annum.

(4)  Council believes that the scale of investment in these services should be a reflection of workforce numbers and the duties required for adequate representation and that work to establish this should be undertaken.

(5)  Council acknowledges the work of the 112 shop stewards and the valuable role they play in representing the workforce to management on such issues as health and safety and other statutory obligations, promoting in-work learning and development and contributing to the effectiveness of the Council.