New Changes - Q&A's

[scorpio]

So tesco shows usdaw what partnership means to them no agreement at present as the new partnership wasn't signed anyhow. So why can't we be balloted we need to be?
Or are they as I believe become a collection point for yellow bellies afraid of the dark.

[tasha66]

A ballot decision will only be on the table if your unhappy with the new pension and u raise your concerns thro it.
But im sure as loki will comment im really naieve in thinking that ya ready for any sort of action.
Wishfull thinking i spose

[selfservice]

I think the best thing you can do with viewpoint this year is to try and organise a mass boycott in your store. We did this a few years ago and people just flipped out. They won't listen to anything you have to say but if a hefty percentage of your team refuse to do it you'll get noticed

[Bug]

I really don't think that a poor viewpoint score is going to be a surprise to them, or high on their list of concerns at the moment.

[selfservice]

No but 40-50% of  store team just refusing to complete will have an effect even if just as an up yours to te$co

[SAMCRO]

My store has had poor viewpoints year after year. The way that the management have dealt with this? - by not publishing the results, nothing put up on noticeboards or anything. We simply do the viewpoint and then never hear or see of it again until the next one.

All this talk of boycotting is too little too late. The wheels are already in motion, the boys at the top know what fate awaits us and will be well prepared to deal with the fallout. We've known a few details about this "news" for 10months when the pilot was first discussed, problem is 95% of the workforce buried their heads in the sand, didn't believe it or didn't believe it would happen to them. Questions were asked and we all hit brick walls, the time to demand answers was 6 months ago, but alls we got told was "await official confirmation" - well the official confirmation is now coming out piece by piece and what can we do about it? - sod all. This isn't like the fire service, at the end of the day we are lowly shop workers and every single one of us is replaceable.

This company has turned me into a nasty, bitter git. There are some genuine, hardworking decent people in this company, but largely I'm disappointed with it at all levels. Complacency, greed, ignorance and laziness has done none of us any favours in the long run.

[Morris999]

Come down on email today that they are not monitoring the completion rate this time.
If people do not want to do it then that's ok.

[selfservice]

Seriously?...... We're all doomed  haha

[fmculater]

What baffles and disappoints me is the lack of feedback from the pilot stores about what happened to their stores. I imagined we would be reading all kinds of examples of what went well, what went wrong, how did they adapt? Etc the silence from them is deafening. 10 months later we know as much as we did when it was first announced.

[SAMCRO]

They've probably had to sign a confidentiality agreement. Or perhaps were paid off significantly and are all off on their jollies 

[AlexM]

Maybe there are not many people from the pilot stores on this forum? Or maybe they would be making themselves too easily identifiable if they did provide details?

[lb1]

My store has had poor viewpoints year after year. The way that the management have dealt with this? - by not publishing the results, nothing put up on noticeboards or anything. We simply do the viewpoint and then never hear or see of it again until the next one.

All this talk of boycotting is too little too late. The wheels are already in motion, the boys at the top know what fate awaits us and will be well prepared to deal with the fallout. We've known a few details about this "news" for 10months when the pilot was first discussed, problem is 95% of the workforce buried their heads in the sand, didn't believe it or didn't believe it would happen to them. Questions were asked and we all hit brick walls, the time to demand answers was 6 months ago, but alls we got told was "await official confirmation" - well the official confirmation is now coming out piece by piece and what can we do about it? - sod all. This isn't like the fire service, at the end of the day we are lowly shop workers and every single one of us is replaceable.

This company has turned me into a nasty, bitter git. There are some genuine, hardworking decent people in this company, but largely I'm disappointed with it at all levels. Complacency, greed, ignorance and laziness has done none of us any favours in the long run.

This pretty much sums things up perfectly.  Exactly how I feel and its looking like a sad end to 20+ years service.

[notsofunny]

If there is no ballot at all, then I will have to seriously reconsider not only my role as a rep, but also as a member.

Why?

Well, what would be the point?,

Think a lot of us are thinking the same thing, But I don't think there will be a ballot ,
At our Express we have no Union rep, and last time we had a visit from someone from the union was over a year ago, and that was just to see if they could get any one else to sigh up

[tumshie]

I think SAMCRO's right.
Seems to me we are like sheep being led to the slaughter who hope that baa-ing quite loudly might be of help to us.

[panther]

Come down on email today that they are not monitoring the completion rate this time.
If people do not want to do it then that's ok.

Well......maybe at least our PM won't give us the 'this is what we have done for you in the last year' speech. I, however, will GLADLY fill it in, and I hope to God there is a space for comments.....although THAT is probably pretty pointless too

[Loki]

A ballot decision will only be on the table if your unhappy with the new pension and u raise your concerns thro it.
But im sure as loki will comment im really naieve in thinking that ya ready for any sort of action.
Wishfull thinking i spose

There should be a ballot on whether or not we accept such a significant change to our pension scheme. Then, if the majority of members who vote reject the proposal, then there should be a ballot for industrial action.

Of course, in the first instance, the Union would make their recommendation to the members on whether or not to accept the proposal.

Drastic Dave's statement regarding there being no increase in pay rates PRIOR to the discussions on pay with the National Forum pay negotiation team is a blatant breach of the Partnership Agreement. In fact, the way in which he has gone about this entire matter renders the agreement null and void as far as I'm concerned. So far that's 3 good reasons to ballot members. One of them being on whether or not members are willing to remain within a "groundbreaking" Partnership Agreement with a company that clearly makes a mockery of it all.

It is blatantly clear that the Partnership Agreement has been brought into disrepute.

But the question remains as to whether or not Usdaw will ballot the members regarding any of the above. Of course, there are DC's that already have a vote on pay. As insane as it sounds, stores cannot regain that "right" without first being balloted regarding the Partnership Agreement that incorporates the entire pay negotiation process via the National Forum.

However, once Usdaw have been consulted on the items already dictated by Drastic Dave, a ballot on the Partnership Agreement and the pension should automatically happen regardless of Usdaw's recommendations.

After all, have not Usdaw already issued a statement today "strongly" criticising their Partner regarding the changes and the manner in which they were announced?

Am I naive enough to believe that Usdaw will, without doubt, ballot their members?
From my experience with this Union, particularly in comparison to my experiences with other Unions, no I am not.

Am I naive enough to believe that if balloted, the members would without doubt vote against such proposals?
When it comes to the crunch, no I am not.

Before commencing employment with tesco, like many others, there have been a few times I have taken part in industrial action over changes to pensions, pay deals and terms & conditions. Some with a successful outcome, others not.

Unfortunately, when comparing the environment I now work in, the attitude of those that work within retail AND the conduct of our recognised Union, I cannot help but doubt there being enough conviction amongst the members to carry through with what, in my opinion, needs to be done.

[penguin]

Usdaw dont care less about our pensions or pay or anything else - the top people in usdaw are just in it for the cash end of story. If Tesco announced plans to hang staff from lampposts usdaw would say ok to it and we all know that deep down the partnership agreement is a farce and works only one way. I have nothing but contempt for the top people in usdaw they are a disgrace and we all deserve better.

[mexicopete]

Great post Loki. I like yourself have fought the fight during my long and varied working life, won a few and lost a few, but always thought it was better to have a go at the powers to be, than just roll over and surrender, always cost me quite a bit of lost pay but it was worth it as gives you a feeling of self respect. Unfortunately most people I work with in my store are like headless chickens and this is mostly down to Usdaw and one particular union rep. who is a complete and utter oaf, the biggest , thickest Showboating moron I have ever had the misfortune to work with. He is a T/L and although I would never normally gloat at someone elses misfortune I can't wait for the loadmouthed to be demoted to GA. He is everything that is wrong with the way Tesco promote people way above their capabilities. By the way I had dealings with John Hannett in a former life and he sold us down the river then as well.

[scorpio]

Oh god please can we have some conviction from our union if ever it was needed its NOW!

[oliver]

Penguin I agree with you,I know some one in unite union and they get £8,000 a year plus their wages from the company they are in. So it must happen with usdaw also someone on wage negotiations for last year said tesco said take it or leave it,

[carlos]

Do we know if the security department will be effected by the change in structure. Ie advance guards, tesco security, And temporary shrink security managers instants in high shrink stores? Will they cut down on security staff? ??

Any info on the above???

[the postman]

Week 51,store managers attending  meeting to be briefed on management  structure  changes.

[Twinkeltoes1]

Loki..........Bloody good reasoning.   I wish somehow I could copy that and get it onto twitter. 

[Twochops]

I'm afraid you're all doomed , I did 11 years at tesco then came to asda 16 years ago but still close as my wife of over 20 yrs is still there .
We did this last summer and now I run a £1m a week store with 7 managers and usually only 3 in a day , you will have to cut to the bone to keep your costs down and stay in business
Even now another restructure is planned for those above us ,   Best of luck to you all but it's inevitable .

[OpShunned]

So you joined Asda soon after Walmart's takeover in 1999? Are you surprised that they cut your managers to the bone and are considering further restructuring? You're freaking doomed too matey.