February 2010
GMB NEWSLETTER
AA PENSION MATTERS
Further to the information and communications sent out to all GMB
members working in the AA, regarding the proposed reduction in Pension
Scheme calculations, it is fairly clear that the AA shows little or no
regard for the welfare of staff and their pensions.
The GMB information pack contained model letters to send to Management
requesting certain information about the pension calculations, together
with a consultative ballot, in the event that the AA refused to withdraw
their proposals. The ballot ended on 1st February 2010, with an 83%
return, and a resounding majority in favour of a formal ballot for
industrial action, should the AA Management continue to bury their heads
in the sand.
You will be aware that some years ago the GMB gave the AA an ultimatum
when they tried to interfere with the Pension Scheme, in that they would
face a total strike should they proceed. GMB members agreed at that time
to contribute a further 1.5% of their wages to the Pension Scheme, on a
promise that the Final Salary Pension Scheme would be protected.
Unfortunately, in 2004, some renegade Representatives of the GMB, who
were under official investigation within the GMB at the time, decided to
‘get into bed’ with the new Private Equity owners of the AA, and they
jointly set up a Management Union called the AADU.
Since when did any working class man or woman see any Company helping to
set up a Union? - Unless of course it was in their own interest, which
obviously was the case.
Staff were conned and cajoled into joining this new, so called Union by
Management and the renegade ex-GMB Representatives.
What followed was nothing short of a disgrace, and flies in the face of
any common decency:-
Long serving staff who should have received up to £80,000 redundancy
were forced out of the AA with £18,000, which was later reduced to
£12,000.
Disabled staff sacked.
Performance Management introduced to undermine and bully staff.
Staffing reduced by around 4,000.
Last Job of Shift imposed on Patrols.
Contractual changes imposed.
Call Centre staff being micro-managed; recording their every move so
that they could be disciplined.
Pension Funds invested into Private Equity.
Final Salary Pension Scheme closed to new staff.
GMB negotiated policies and procedures to protect staff were torn up
and are now obsolete.
The once profitable AA making £100 million per annum plunged into £1.8
BILLION DEBT.
On the merger of AA and SAGA, the new Company was further plunged into
£4.8 billion debt so that the Private Equity sharks walked off with £300
million, and the Chief Executive, Tim Parker sent on his way with a
reported handsome payout of £30 million. Now the AA profits are being
used to pay off the debt and interest.
Business rules were introduced which could effectively undermine
contracts and terms and conditions at any time. For example; Contractual
Overtime, the 40 Minute Rule and Standby, to name a few.
Little wonder there is no money left to fund the Pension Scheme.
All this went on without a murmur from the Union, set up by the AA
Management, so it was obvious that the AA Management were in charge of
both camps to the detriment of the staff.
All staff could get from the Management Union was “that nothing was
agreed but it was voluntary if staff wanted to take the new terms and
conditions”. Staff were then left to the mercy of the Management bullies
who imposed the so called “non negotiated terms and conditions”.
This was and still remains a disgrace that Management set up a Union so
that they could do as they pleased to staff without any challenge
whatsoever; no grievances, no collective grievances, no disputes, no
challenges and no Employment Tribunals. So the question remains; where
was the AADU/IDU?
To add insult to injury, staff paid £7.00 a month for this
unrepresentative privilege.
Now the re-branded Union, the IDU, on the back of the GMB’s consultative
ballot on Pensions, have started bleating on about what they are going
to do about the mess which they themselves allowed to develop unabated.
WHY? You may ask; well the answer is simple; the AA staff has had enough
of the ‘nodding dog Union’, and staff are all dropping out of the IDU
and joining the GMB.
The IDU are whistling in the wind, knowing that all they have done for 5
years is to sell the staff out to Management on every issue.
Where were Alistair MacLean, Ian Allen and Sarah Hamlin when all this
was going on? They evaded answering any questions from members of staff,
and thought the pension issue would be just ‘another storm in a tea
cup’, which they could ride out, but, they made a grave error of
judgment and are now trying to play ‘catch-up’ with the GMB.
The GMB Union will conduct an official ballot of GMB members if the AA
proceeds with the Pension Scheme changes, and remember the GMB is a
large General Union, whose members will stand firmly behind AA staff.
I thank you for your continued support of a truly Independent Union,
which is not in the pocket of Management; the GMB.
The only way to bring about change is to get the whole of the AA
workforce into the GMB Union, and bring an end to the hypocrisy of the
Management Union.
Paul Grafton
GMB Organiser
paul.grafton@gmb.org.uk
Paul Maloney
National Secretary
paul.maloney@gmb.org.uk
Join GMB online at www.gmb.org.uk
Telephone 020 8397 8881 or 020 8971 8390
