Ambiguity in the execution of criteria for selection of staff for VR.

Below is a good part of an email sent to a colleague, the email was a response to announcement by AmeyColas that they wanted to shed about 19 staff on the LNW. The chief criteria that I'm aware of is that staff live 90 miles or more from Bletchley depot. But it appears that some who got letters about the redundancies from AmeyColas are inside that distance.

 

So it begs some questions, distance alone doesn't seem to be the sole reason that some have been offered the opportunity to go for voluntary redundancy.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------

 

They really don't have a clue about our T+C's! It's actually comical that they believe it will cost the company money if we choose to stay in accommodation nearer Bletchley depot!

 The fact is at the moment we receive £5 a day subsistence allowance and £18 per day mobility allowance this was a payment Grant rail agreed with the unions to encourage us to travel from home to different sites in a large area often more than eighty miles  or we could receive £23 per day lodging allowance If we choose to lodge nearer a depot(we are site based),simple maths states that this is at no extra cost to AmeyColas.

 As for the "safety implications " of us travelling in excess of 80 miles i would like to state that  that we are willing to travel any where we our asked to go! That includes Mansfield last week and Birmingham next week. All in a days work for me.

It seems to me that are terms and conditions don't suit , not our geographical location.

Just for the record my home address to Bletchley is under 80 miles . I think you get the idea

Ref : Redundancies at AmeyColas

Below is the complete text of a letter sent to me by a colleague, I assume it's the letter that AmeyColas are sending out to affected staff in the current wave of redundancies. From reading it, it gives the impression that AmeyColas have a clear idea of the specific staff they want rid of and are writing only to them to enquire as to their interest in taking voluntary redundancy.

 

Dear

From 2010 our Client is proposing to give us a fixed price for completing our contracts, whereas at the moment our Client underwrites all of our costs, including the costs of directly employing our workforce.  More than ever this will mean that the future of our AmeyColas LNW business is dependent on us managing costs more effectively than our competitors. 

AmeyColas' preference is to maintain a workforce which is directly employed, but to achieve this we must look at solutions to maintain our cost competitiveness, not least to ensure we are able to bid and win new work.

We are writing to all of our 19 LNW track worker employees that live geographically remote from where we perform the majority of our work.  Due to safety limitations on travelling time and the cost of lodging away the company has a concern about the cost viability of continuing to utilise this group of 19 LNW track workers.

Consequently, the company will ask these 19 track workers whether they would be interested in voluntary redundancy (VR).

Therefore the reason for this letter is to ask you whether you would wish to receive a VR quote.  Should you wish to receive a quote please complete and return the slip at the bottom of this letter by 10am on Monday 7^th December 2009:

 

E-mail: Cheryl.smith@ameycolas.co.uk

or

Post: Tracy Fitchett, Amey HR One Gateway, Winchester House, Oxford Science Park, Oxford.  OX4 4GE.

Please be assured that by asking for a quote you will not be obligating yourself in any way to accepting VR.  Please also be aware that the company will retain the right to reject any VR applications.

Should you wish to receive a quote this will be sent to you in the week commencing 7^th December 2009, together with instructions as to what you would need to do next should you wish to accept this quote.

Should you have any questions in the meantime please don't hesitate to discuss these with your line manager or HR representative.

Yours sincerely,

Steve West

Track Director, AmeyColas LNW

By returning this slip I am requesting a voluntary redundancy quote:

Name:________________________________________

Signature:_____________________________________

Employee number:______________________________

Date:_________________________________________

Depot:________________________________________

I would like this quote sent to (please tick one or both):

□ My home address

□ My email address, which is: ______________________________________

Amey LNW update

At a meeting yesterday, some details on events in the immediately future were discussed. Not being present, I have only the barest of details on what was discussed.

High output was agenda item which was discussed at length, with the basics of the T&C's that new starters would be recruited to operate the machines. A lot of work is required in this area.

Apparently Amey are looking for around nineteen redundancies on the LNW at Bletchley, looks like any VR package would be applied equally across the board. But in a compulsory situation I couldnt say, things could well revert to ones T&C's.

A common set of T&C's, rates of pay etc for all staff was a desired objective too.

It was the first meeting I'm aware of on these subjects, and there will be more. Futher details will come with further meetings, at the present it's early days.

Jarvis Redundancies

To all Jarvis, Network Rail Maintenance, Balfour Beatty, Babcock Rail, Amey, Colas, Carillion members

 Dear Colleague,

REDUNDANCIES – JARVIS

Our Jarvis members put on a magnificent show of solidarity during the strike action they took last weekend. This industrial action had a huge impact on the company as it had to cancel a large number of work it had planned during that time. 

As it stands, there has still been no progress made on our demands for no compulsory redundancies and for a full 90-day consultation period. That is why our Jarvis members will once again be taking strike action next weekend and I am asking them not to book on for any shifts which commence between 06.00 hours on Saturday 11^th July and 06.00 hours on Monday 13^th July 2009.

I would urge everyone to do all they can to support this strike action and to make sure that members at other on-track and renewals companies do not take on the work which our Jarvis members would normally carry out. I would also hope that non-RMT staff at Jarvis would respect their colleagues who are taking industrial action and not carry out the work usually done by RMT members. 

Everything possible should be done to support our Jarvis members through this very troubling time and to help them get the message to management to enter meaningful and constructive discussions with your union. We have to put a stop to the jobs massacre taking place in this company and, by taking industrial action, I am sure our Jarvis members can help to achieve this.

Yours sincerely

Bob Crow

General Secretary

Lodging Away?

I have recently become aware of feeler's being put out from management on the subject of lodging away for work, I beleive it is in connection with work that's likely to be taking place shortly in the Wigan area.

Apparently the driving force behind it is Network Rail, and their reluctance to see continue the high levels of non-allocated time. So it appears that Network Rail are turning the screws abit on AmeyColas, and they are exploring possible solutions to the problem, lodging being one.

I know the PSM staff are in the process of a reorganisation at the present time, and that us in the gangs were unaffected. But these signs would seem to indicate that it could soon be otherwise.

It hasn't taken too much thought to reach a decision upon the matter, for myself it is an enphatic "NO THANK YOU!". Now the downside may not be to my liking whatsoever, but then the prospect of being part of what is effectively a gypsy workforce, working anywhere in the country isn't to my liking either.

I started as a depot based worker, and I wish to remain so, I have no interest whatsoever in becoming a mobile worker. If I had then I would have worked for an agency a long time ago.

Lodging away has always been something that is a rarity for us, not the norm. something you did when you had an ES course or a Crane controller's course. As such the frequency has always been extremely low and tolerable.

The frequency that it looks like it is being envisaged would have a dramatic and major impact on my work-life balance, and as such would be an intolerable scenario.

I remember one former colleague who was classed as a mobile worker, said to me that in some eighteen years on the job, the longest period that he had spent in his own bed at any one time during that eighteen years was about three weeks in total.

So for me it's NO! all the way.

BRIEFING TO ALL AMEYCOLAS EMPLOYEES.

BRIEFING TO ALL AMEYCOLAS EMPLOYEES

Members of the RMT and TSSA unions together with employee representatives and senior management from both Amey and Colas have reached agreement on a voluntary severance package (VR) for the current redundancy proposals within the AmeyColas joint venture business.

The objective of undertaking voluntary redundancy applications is to endeavor to avoid compulsory redundancies within the JV business where possible.

Applications for VR will be sought from anyone who is currently working in the AmeyColas Integrated Management Team (PSM) and invitations to apply will be sent to home addresses in the next few days. All applications for VR will be reviewed by management, and management reserves the right to accept or decline any application(s).

The outline terms agreed are as follows:

For those with enhanced redundancy terms set out in your contract of employment, please find attached a copy of the matrix which sets out the basis for the calculation of VR and which has been agreed by both Unions. Where offered, this would be a solitary payment and no further payments would be applicable.

For those not on enhanced redundancy terms as set out in your contract of employment, we have agreed a payment of £1000 per year worked, calculated as per the statutory redundancy ready reckoner and capped at £20k per person. Your notice period would be in addition to this payment.

* Please note that Inland Revenue guidelines for the application of tax and NI for redundancy payments over £30K will apply as appropriate.

Any annual leave accrued but not taken by the employment end date would be paid in the next available payroll after the end date, subject to tax and NI. If the employee has taken more days annual leave than they have accrued by their employment end date, this amount will be deducted from any final payments owed to the employee

In addition to reaching agreement on the VR package outlined above, Collective and territory specific consultations also continued over the past two weeks, & union representatives and senior management reviewed and finalized in detail the proposed 'at risk' roles. As a result of this, it was also possible to firm up a number of roles which have been designated as 'identified' and therefore are no longer at risk.

On Friday 19^th June, a communication was issued by letter to home addresses for all AmeyColas employees, clarifying whether each individual is at risk or identified.

Individuals who are at risk have been offered a 121 meeting this week with a member of the management team and an HR representative. These meetings will be the start of individual consultations.

Finally, anyone who is currently at risk and requires support is encouraged to speak to a line manager, HR representative or union representative. Arrangements have been made for these people to be available more frequently in the depots across the coming days.

Revised matrix roughly 75% of the previous one.

PSM Reorganization

The following information is as accurate as I can make it based on what little is known of the current position as it stands. It compares the voluntary positions as they stand with what could be the possible complusory positions for both staff covered by PT&R and those not.

OPTION 1


This is the proposed matrix, where your age and length of service converge, you'll see a figure. Multiply your basic weekly rate of pay by this figure and subtract
25%.

The resultant figure should be indicative of what you can expect to receive as a voluntary redundancy payment. This matrix is for staff were PT&R is
applicable.

AmeyColas were originally figuring on a level of about 50% of what is shown in this matrix, but have apparently noved on that original position up until a new position of 75%, where they seem likely not to budge from.

Example is for an SM1 step 7, who is 53 years of age, and has 31 years service in. Under this matrix the initial figure is :

$64,640 = 101 weeks standard pay.
Subtract 25%
£48,480 is the final figure.

____________________________________________________

OPTION 2

For redundancy payments where PT&R is applicable. (NUR Redundancy and resettlement arrangements, Conciliation & Salaried staff British
Railways, September 1985)

Option 2 comes in two parts.

Part 1

A = Basic weekly rate of pay multiplied by B = completed number years of service up to a maximum of 25 years. Multiply this by 2.5 which will give you the first part of the redundancy payment for option 1.
........A
....x B
= sub-total
...x 2.5
= total

Example is for an SM1 step 7, who is 53 years of age, and has 31 years service in.

A = £640
B = 25
£16,000
x 2.5
£40,000

PLUS

Part 2

A supplementary payment equal to one weeks standard pay (A) for every completed year of service after 40 years of age (B).

......A
....x B
=

Example is for an SM1 step 7, who is 53 years of age, and has 31 years service in.

A = £640
B = x 13
= £8,320

Add the two totals from part 1 and 2 together, this is the amount you can expect under option 2

Example is for an SM1 step 7, who is 53 years of age, and has 31 years service in.

Part 1 = £40,000
Part 2 = £8,320
Total £48,320

____________________________________________________

OPTION 3

Part 1
Use the statutory matrix below to calculate the number of weeks pay depending on your age and length of service up to a maximum of 20 years. £350 is the current statutory maximum of a weeks pay. The resultant figure forms the first part of your redundancy pay under option 3.

Statutory redundundancy matrix. Click on image to enlarge.

Example is for an SM1 step 7, who is 53 years of age, and has 31 years service in.

£350
x 26
= £9,100

PLUS

Part 2

A supplementary payment of one weeks standard pay (A) for each completed year of service in excess or 15 years (B) or the age of 45 ( C), whichever
is the greater.

A
x B or C
= total

Example is for an SM1 step 7, who is 53 years of age, and has 31 years service in.

A= £640
B = x 16
= £10,240

PLUS

Part 3

An amount equal to 40 per cent of part 1 and part 2

Example is for an SM1 step 7, who is 53 years of age, and has 31 years service in.

40% of part 1 = £3,640
40% of part 2 = £4,096
Combined total = £7,736

Add the three totals from part 1 and 2 and 3 together, this is the amount you can expect under option 3

Example is for an SM1 step 7, who is 53 years of age, and has 31 years service in.

Part 1 = £9,100
Part 2 = £10,240
Part 3 = £7,736
Combined total = £27,076

____________________________________________________

OPTION 4

Option 4 is Voluntary Redundancy for staff not covered by PT&R.

For each year of completed service up to a maximum of 20 years, £1,000 for each year.

Years service / Amount
1 / £1,000
2 / £2,000
3 / £3,000
4 / £4,000
5 / £5,000
6 / £6,000
7 / £7,000
8 / £8,000
9 / £9,000
10 / £10,000
11 / £11,000
12 / £12,000
13 / £13,000
14 / £14,000
15 / £15,000
16 / £16,000
17 / £17,000
18 / £18,000
19 / £19,000
20 / £20,000

___________________________________________________

Option 5

Option 5 is for staff not covered by PT&R in the event of compulsory redundancy.

Use the statutory matrix below to calculate the number of weeks pay depending on your age and length of service up to a maximum of 20 years. £350 is the current statutory maximum of a weeks pay. The resultant figure forms the first part of your redundancy pay under option 5.

Statutory redundundancy matrix. Click on image to enlarge.

Example is for an individual, who is 53 years of age, and has 31 years service in.

£350
x 26
= £9,100

Proposed Matrix

Above is the proposed matrix for voluntary redundancy. Click on image to enlarge it.