Trade unions and Falkirk Council fail to agree on new terms and conditions package

Date: Wednesday 10 February 2016 Talks between Falkirk Council and Joint Trade Unions broke down today (9 February) after trade unions could not accept the new package of terms and conditions being proposed by Falkirk Council. Talks broke down after the Joint Trade Union informed Falkirk Council that following a ballot they felt they could not agree the package put forward. Falkirk Council informed the Joint Trade Union that they will be writing to all employees tomorrow (10 February 2016) to inform them of the position. Gray Allan, spokesperson for the Joint Trade Union, said, ‘The trade unions are working hard to get the best agreement for all members. Local government workers are taking the brunt of austerity with job losses, pay freezes and reductions in terms and conditions. This proposal to change member’s terms and conditions aims to make it easier for Falkirk Council to administer more cuts. Council workers are trying to be as helpful as possible but we have to do what can to protect local services, jobs and our member’s terms and conditions’ Gray Allan also said, ‘We will report back to our members, in person, as soon as we can. In the meantime we thought it was important to speak to the Falkirk Herald to keep our members informed. We are disappointed that Falkirk Council could not give us more time to explain personally to our members. In the meantime we encourage union members to seek further clarification from their trade union reps so we can all work towards a collective agreement.’ END The Joint Trade Union represents all union members collectively. Unions included in Joint Trade Union are UNISON, GMB, UNITE, UCATT, and EIS