National pay bargaining for Wales / a Welsh National Joint Council

Back to all Motions

Conference
2017 Local Government Service Group Conference
Date
22 February 2017
Decision
Remitted

Conference notes that local government has been a devolved responsibility of the Welsh government since 1999, with local authority financial settlements determined by Welsh government rather than Westminster. Since that time we have witnessed an increasing divergence of approach towards local government between England and Wales, with regards to funding, council tax, approaches to outsourcing / privatisation, education, and the role of local government.

Welsh government is putting forward proposals for the re-organisation of local government in Wales which will, potentially, have many implications for our members working in local government in Wales.

That UNISON Cymru/Wales is operating in a different political climate to England – one in which the Welsh government is much more sympathetic to trade unionism, as witnessed by its intention to legislate on industrial relations within its areas of devolved responsibility in order to mitigate the worst aspects of the Trade Union Act 2016.

There is frustration amongst members in Wales (and in England as well) of the failure of the existing England and Wales NJC arrangements to achieve pay awards for our members that do not result in a real terms pay cut.

The increased fragmentation of local government services has weakened the negotiating strength of the trade union side at the NJC, and that it has been difficult to find and agree a successful industrial action strategy that works for all parts of England and Wales partly as a result of that.

Conference believes a Welsh National Joint Council structure with the power to negotiate directly on pay and terms and conditions would be timely in light of the current re-organisation proposals, and provide an opportunity for UNISON in Wales to protect and improve the terms and conditions of its members through the period of re-organisation.

A Welsh National Joint Council would also create a formal negotiating structure between the Welsh government and local government trade unions in Wales which would be beneficial to UNISON in terms of increasing our ability to influence the Welsh government on matters of local government in Wales. This would enable issues that are specific to local government in Wales to be dealt with at the all Wales level in order that the union can achieve the best outcomes for our members in Wales, and respond effectively to the specific circumstances in Wales.

That the creation of a Welsh National Joint Council would in no way weaken the solidarity between the members of UNISON in all the nations of the UK.

Pay bargaining at the devolved national level in the UK would better reflect the devolved governance arrangements for local government, and that any risk that pay levels would fall as a result, in Wales or elsewhere, are minimal and are balanced by the opportunities that a more responsive bargaining framework could deliver. A Welsh National Joint Council may also provide opportunities for innovative approaches to negotiations that can positively influence other negotiating bodies.

Conference therefore instructs the service group executive to:

1)Write to the Wales Local Government Associations; leaders of all 22 Welsh councils; the First Minister of Wales and the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government in the Wales Government asking them to consider a UNISON proposal to establish a National Joint Council for Wales, on the model of the existing England and Wales National Joint Council, that has the authority to agree pay levels and terms and conditions for all local government staff in Wales currently covered by the existing NJC arrangements;

2)Inform the other NJC trade unions of our actions and seek their support;

3)To work positively and constructively with the Cymru/Wales region and its local government committee to further this aim and provide assistance (in the form of reasonable resources and other assistance such as joint lobbying) to the Cymru/Wales local government committee and Cymru/Wales region as appropriate, and as required, to secure the establishment of a new national pay bargaining framework for Wales.

Should the Wales Government, employers’ side and the other trade unions be receptive to such a proposal:

4. To produce a report for the 2018 local government conference on this issue to include the provision for a ballot of Cymru/Wales UNISON members to seek agreement to pull away from the current NJC in order to create a national bargaining body for Cymru/Wales.

Bargeinio Cyflog Cenedlaethol i Gymru / Cyd-Gyngor Cenedlaethol Cymru

Mae’r Gynhadledd yn nodi fod Llywodraeth Leol wedi bod yn gyfrifoldeb datganoledig Llywodraeth Cymru ers 1999, gyda chytundebau ariannol Awdurdodau Lleol yn cael eu penderfynnu gan Llywodraeth Cymru yn hytrach na Westminster. Ers yr amser hynny yr ydym wedi bod yn dyst i ddull dargyfeiredd cynyddol tuag at Llywodraeth Leol rhwng Cymru a Lloegr, mewn cysylltiad â chyllid, Treth y Cyngor, ymagweddau tuag at allanoli/preifateiddio, addysg a rhan y Llywodraeth Leol.

Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn rhoi cynigion ymlaen er ail-trefnu Llywodraeth Leol yng Nghymru, bydd o bosib, â llawer o goblygiadau i’n haelodau sy’n gweithio mewn Llywodraeth Leol yng Nghymru

Fod UNSAIN Cymru/Wales yn gweithredu mewn awyrgylch gwleidyddol gwahanol i Loegr – un ble mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn llawer fwy cydymdeimladol i Undebau, fel y gwelir gan ei bwriad i ddeddfu ar gysylltiadau diwydiannol o fewn ei ardaloedd o gyfrifoldeb datganoledig er mwyn lliniaru’r agweddau gwaethaf o Ddeddf Undeb 2016.

Mae yna rwystredigaeth ymysg aelodau yng Nghymru (ac yn Lloegr hefyd) am ddiffyg trefniadau presennol CGC Cymru a Lloegr i gyflawni codiadau cyflog i’n haelodau nad sy’n arwain at toriad cyflog mewn gwir termau.

Mae’r darniad cynyddol o wasanaethau Llywodraeth Leol wedi gwanhau cryfder trafod ochr yr Undeb yn CGC, a’i fod wedi bod yn anodd i canfod a chytuno strategaeth gweithredu diwydiannol llwyddiannus sy’n gweithio i bob rhan o Gymru a Lloegr yn rhannol oherwydd hyn.

Mae’r Gynhadledd yn credu byddai strwythur Cyd-Gyngor Cenedlaethol Cymru gyda’r pwer i drafod yn uniongyrchol ar gyflog a termau a thelerau yn amserol yng ngoleuni’r cynigion ail-drefnu presennol, a darparu cyfle i UNSAIN yng Nghymru i amddiffyn a gwella termau a thelerau eu haelodau trwy gydol amser yr ail-drefnu.

Byddai Cyd-Gyngor Cenedlaethol Cymru hefyd yn creu strwythur trafod ffurfiol rhwng Llywodraeth Cymru ac undebau Llywodraeth Leol yng Nghymru byddai’n fuddiol i UNSAIN o ran cynyddu ei gallu i ddylanwadu ar Lywodraeth Cymru ar faterion Llywodraeth Leol yng Nghymru. Byddai hyn yn galluogi materion sy’n benodol i Lywodraeth Leol yng Nghymru cael eu trin ar lefel Cymru gyfan er mwyn i’r Undeb medru cyflawni’r canlyniadau gorau i’n haelodau yng Nghymru, ac ymateb yn effeithiol i amgylchiadau penodol yng Nghymru.

Na byddai creu Cyd-Gyngor Cenedlaethol Cymru mewn unrhyw ffordd yn gwanhau’r undod rhwng aelodau UNSAIN ym mhob cenedl o’r DU.

Byddai bargeinio cyflog ar lefel datganoledig cenedlaethol yn y DU yn adlewyrchu trefniadau llywodraethu datganoledig yn well er Llywodraeth Leol, a byddai unrhyw risg byddai lefelau cyflog yn cwympo o ganlyniad, yng Nghymru neu mewn mannau eraill, yn fach ac yn cael eu cydbwyso gan y cyfleuon byddai fframwaith bargeinio fwy ymatebol yn medru cyflwyno. Hefyd gall Cyd-Gyngor Cenedlaethol Cymru darparu cyfleuon er dulliau arloesol i drafodaethau gallai dylwadu’n gadarnhaol ar gyrff trafod eraill.

Mae’r Gynhadledd felly’n cyfarwyddo’r Grwp Gwasanaeth Gweithredol i:

1) Ysgrifennu at Gymdeithasau Llywodraeth Leol Cymru, Arweinyddion y 22 Cynghorau yng Nghymru, Prif Weinidog Cymru a’r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet er Cyllid a Llywodraeth Leol yn Llywodraeth Cymru yn gofyn iddynt ystyried cynnig gan UNSAIN i sefydlu Cyd-Gyngor Cenedlaethol i Gymru, ar fodel presennol Cyd-Gyngor Cenedlaethol Cymru a Lloegr, fod yr awdurdod yn cytuno lefelau cyflog a termau a thelerau i bob gweithiwr Llywodraeth Leol yng Nghymru a gwmpesir ar hyn o bryd gan trefniadau’r CGC presennol.

2) Rhoi gwybod i undebau eraill CGC am ein gweithrediadau a gofyn am eu cefnogaeth.

3) I weithio’n gadarnhaol ac yn adeiladol gyda Rhanbarth Cymru/Wales a’i Pwyllgor Llywodraeth Leol i hyrwyddo’r bwriad hyn a rhoi cymorth (ar ffurf adnoddau rhesymol a chymorth arall fel cyd-lobio) i Bwyllgor Llywodraeth Leol Cymru/Wales a Rhanbarth Cymru/Wales fel y bo’n briodol, i sicrhau sefydliad fframwaith bargeinio cyflog cenedlaethol i Gymru.

Pe bai Llywodraeth Cymru, ochr y cyflogwr a’r undebau eraill yn barod i dderbyn y fath cynnig:

4) Cynhyrchu adroddiad er Cynhadledd Llywodraeth Leol 2018 ar y mater yma gan gynnwys darpariaeth pleidlais aelodau UNSAIN Cymru/Wales yn gofyn am gytundeb i dynnu ffwrdd o’r CGC presennol er mwyn creu Corff Bargeinio Cenedlaethol i Cymru/Wales.