Nationwide Group Staff Union Rapport Magazine Issue 93

Rapport THE NATIONWIDE GROUP STAFF UNION MAGAZINE

JULY 2019 | ISSUE 93

WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO SAY? HOW TO FEED YOUR IDEAS INTO OUR NATIONAL CONFERENCE

2 93 JULY 19

welcome…

This is the first issue of Rapport to appear since I was elected President earlier this year, so as well as these few words of welcome here, I also get to talk about my lifelong passion for supporting members on pages six and seven.

You’ll be hearing more from me in future editions, as I keep you posted on what I have been doing on your behalf in a new feature following me on my travels around the country in my camper van!

Bev Cubbon President

Rapport

TACKLING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PEOPLE WITH EPILEPSY People with epilepsy are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as their counterparts without the condition, according to a new report by the Institute of Employment Studies (IES).

And those in work face discrimination from their managers and co-workers: more than 25 per cent of employees say they would be concerned about working with a colleague who had epilepsy, according to a recent YouGov survey, while many employers interviewed for the study feared that hiring someone with epilepsy would increase costs and cause disruption.

Although people with epilepsy are protected under the Equality Act, which protects people from several different types of disability discrimination, many employers remain reluctant to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ required by law, the report says.

While employers expect people with epilepsy to disclose their condition, this fails to acknowledge the experiences of discrimination that can make people with epilepsy unwilling to share their diagnosis, the report points out.

The IES proposes a personalised online toolkit – covering disclosure, health and safety, reasonable adjustments and other common concerns – that could help improve dialogue on epilepsy between employers and employees.

Download ‘Employment support for people with epilepsy’ from https://bit.ly/2IMRSPI

July 2019

NGSU Middleton Farmhouse, 37 Main Road, Middleton Cheney, Banbury, Oxon OX17 2QT Tel: 01295 710767 Fax: 01295 712580 ngsu@ngsu.org.uk www.ngsu.org.uk @TimPoil NGSU We use bitly URLs to convert long web addresses into shorter ones throughout the magazine.

To avoid single-use plastics, we use a biodegradable polywrap produced from potato starch.

NEW CONTACTS FOR EMPLOYEECARE

Nationwide’s new EmployeeCare service with Health Assured is now up and running, providing you and your immediate family with support via the free 24-hour confidential helpline: 0800 756 9804.

Health Assured can help you deal with stress and anxiety; debt; work; lifestyle addictions; relationships; and legal issues.

You can also find lots of useful resources on the health portal, including monthly webinars and mini health checks.

Log on at healthassuredeap.co.uk and enter the user name Nationwide and the password Employeecare.

You can also try the Health e-Hub app on Apple or Android smartphones, for which you can use the same username and password as the portal.

FAIRNESS IS CRUCIAL TO WELLBEING AT WORK NGSU has welcomed a new report by the Banking Standards Board (BSB) that identifies the massive contribution to employee wellbeing and resilience made by workplace justice – or the lack of it.

The BSB recently published a paper identifying eight key factors affecting wellbeing and resilience, highlighting ‘organisational justice’ in addition to the more familiar issues such as workload and work-life balance.

Organisational justice covers three main areas, according to the BSB: ● do employees feel that they getting back as much as they put in (distributive justice)? ● do employees feel procedures are fair (procedural justice)? ● do employees feel they are treated with dignity and respect by their managers and supervisors (interactional justice)?

“Here at NGSU, we are pleased to see the BSB identify organisational justice as one of the key factors affecting wellbeing in the workplace,” says Assistant General Secretary Tim Rose.

“We’ve long understood the importance of this and have worked with Nationwide to establish the Fair Treatment at Work Policy, which sets out a number of principles underpinning a range of procedures such a disciplinary; improving performance; grievance, harassment and bullying; and ill-health capability.”

When it comes to hearings, Tim says that a key element of ensuring organisational justice is the role that the union plays in representing members.

“If you are called to a hearing of any kind, please contact us immediately to arrange representation: we play a vital role in ensuring that the person chairing the hearing has all the information they need to make a fair decision,” Tim points out.

The BSB’s latest annual review includes the results of its latest survey of finance sector workers, which reveals

that 44 per cent of banking employees feel under excessive pressure to perform in their work and 24 per cent declare working at their firm has a negative impact on their health and wellbeing.

When those 24 per cent were asked to list the issues adversely affecting them, 57 per cent said workload, 27 per cent said pressure of expectations and 20 per cent said resources.

THE FAIR TREATMENT AT WORK PRINCIPLES In the operation of its policies, Nationwide will: ● deal with you fairly, reasonably and sympathetically ● treat you in accordance with its equality, diversity and inclusion policy ● provide you with the necessary support ● recognise that the resolution of issues places responsibilities on both you and your manager to act reasonably ● make reasonable adjustments to its policy or procedures if you or your companion are disabled.

Read the full policy at https://bit.ly/2Xo4ZMA Download the BSB paper from https://bit.ly/2XJwXqm

4 93 JULY 19

IF YOU’VE BEEN INJURED, WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED

As an NGSU member, you’re entitled to free legal advice about personal injury – and, where appropriate, legal representation – from our solicitors Slater and Gordon (S&G).

Using the wealth of experience acquired by representing thousands of union members every year, S&G has developed a bespoke service for NGSU where both you and your family can claim while NGSU covers your legal bills.

S&G can help if you or your family have been hurt in any of the following and it wasn’t your fault: ● road traffic accidents ● accidents at work ● accidents abroad Contact the dedicated NGSU ● slipping or tripping accidents advice line ● industrial diseases 0800 916 ● clinical negligence.

9064 All members retain 100 per cent of the damages S&G recovers on your behalf, so if you were awarded damages of £5,000, you’d receive the full £5,000.

This is in stark contrast to representation by other firms, which typically deduct around 25 per cent of the damages they recover, which means a £5,000 award would be reduced to £3,750.

If you’ve got a personal injury enquiry, contact the dedicated NGSU advice line: 0800 916 9064.

HOT DESKING CAN BE BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH Eight out of ten office workers say that office seating arrangements, including hot desking, take a toll on their mental health, according to a new survey for a global consultancy firm.

And almost six out of ten say that not knowing where they will be sitting when they turn up to work every day can be very stressful.

Hot desking can be inefficient and unproductive, according to significant numbers of the 1,001 UK office workers who took part in the survey.

More than 30 per cent say they waste time looking for a desk at the beginning of the working day, more than 40 per cent say they waste time setting up different computers on different days and more than 20 per cent of all workers (rising to 25 per cent of women workers) say it makes it difficult to bond with their colleagues.

Simple changes to hot desking systems such as the ability to pre-book a seat would ease concerns for 61 per cent of staff, the survey found.

What are your experiences with hot desking? Has your office put any helpful procedures in place? What are your suggestions for improving hot desking in the workplace?

Let us know your thoughts by logging on to the NGSU Forum.

Tim talks

Facing the future As well as negotiating new pay structures and preparing for our national conference, I’m starting to plan for my retirement next year.

T

he feature on our upcoming National Conference on pages eight and nine reminds us how much we’ve been able to achieve over the last two years. This next conference is your opportunity, as members of NGSU, to set the union’s negotiating agenda for the next two years. So let us know what you think we should be working on by submitting your ideas via our website.

This conference will be my last as General Secretary: as you may have read in Union Mail, I have advised our National Executive Committee (NEC) that I intend to retire at the end of the current performance year.

It was a proud moment for me when I was first elected chairman of the Nationwide Building Society Staff Association in 1988. And it’s continued to be my absolute privilege to have led our union and represented our members for more than 30 years.

Over this time, we have changed our name from a staff association to a union; affiliated to the TUC; merged with other associations and unions from the Anglia, Portman, Derbyshire, Cheshire and Dunfermline building societies; built our team from one employed staff member to 18 employees today; and won recognition as an effective and progressive trade union within financial services.

And while we have been led by one General Secretary during

For more info please go to our website www.ngsu.org.uk

@TimPoil

this period, Nationwide has had five chief executives!

Throughout this period our mission has remained clear: to promote and protect the interests of our members by working in partnership with Nationwide. We’ve faced lots of challenges along the way, supported many members through difficult times and had our ups and downs with the Society.

However, we’ve achieved a lot and can be rightly proud of the good terms and conditions and fair working practices that we’ve helped develop at Nationwide on behalf of our members.

I am extremely honoured to have played my part in leading NGSU and helping to influence the employment environment at Nationwide. However, it is our collective strength as a union that has made this possible – so if you know someone who isn’t a member, please encourage them to join to help keep our collective voice strong for the future.

In the meantime, I am focusing on our very full agenda in the months ahead. We are currently working with Nationwide to review all aspects of pay and rewards. As we are making good progress, I’m hopeful that we can agree new pay structures that will resolve the concerns that members have raised in recent years and deliver fair and effective rewards for everyone.

6 93 JULY 19

New NGSU President Bev Cubbon wants to recruit more members to build a stronger union that can chalk up even more successes.

Going for growth

B

ev Cubbon, who was elected NGSU President from 1 April this year, has two linked priorities during her two-year term in office: recruiting more members and encouraging more members to use the support and resources of their union.

“My goals as President are to grow the membership but also to get more people using the union – members don’t necessarily understand what we have on offer for them, which is why some people go into hearings unsupported,” Bev says.

Communication is going to be key for Bev. That means getting better about spreading the NGSU message – especially when it comes celebrating success. “We need to be communicating better about what we do and get better at getting our message across about the successes, because I don’t think we always do that,” she says.

As part of the National Executive Committee (NEC) elections earlier this year, Bev was elected as President unopposed for a two-year term of office that finishes on 31 March 2021.

Bev first joined the union back in 1986, when she started what was her first full-time job on the counter in the Ellesmere Port branch (she’d worked weekday evening shifts in Tesco and as a librarian’s assistant on Saturday mornings before that).

She first became active as a rep to speak up on behalf of staff who felt at the time that they had no alternative but to take on the additional work that was being sold to them as part of their development.

“Managers were taking advantage of people, telling them they had to do things for their development when they were entitled to say No – they just didn’t feel they could speak up or stand up to their manager,” Bev recalls.

Bev already knew the importance of workplace solidarity first-hand, as it had been her colleagues in the branch, not Bev herself, who had complained a few years earlier when the manager started bullying her.

Nearly 20 years later, and by then long-established as a union rep, Bev was able to repay the favour by supporting an entire team who were being bullied by their manager – 12 months’ work that was recognised when Bev won NGSU Rep of the Year as a result in 2008.

“I met one of those ladies on a first aid course in March: she doesn’t work for Nationwide any more but she reminded me how I’d helped her when she was being bullied: it makes it all worthwhile when you hear things like that,” Bev says. “Some of it’s hard work because you could be supporting

If you would like to get in touch with Bev while she is President, you can email her at ngsu@ngsu.org.uk with the subject line: FAO Bev Cubbon

ANGELA IS OFF ON THE PROSECCO ROAD

“I enjoy everything that I do through the union, I don’t dislike any of it, to be honest. Supporting the members, that’s always been my main priority.” somebody for such a long period of time but it’s definitely worth doing.”

Bev’s union work has also involved supporting much larger groups, including the roughly 270 Swindonbased staff in Nationwide’s life and investments division who were transferred to Legal & General in 2008, when the financial services provider took over that part of the business.

“That was a learning experience for me as we were negotiating on parts of the contract and I’d not done anything like that before they were TUPE-ed across,” Bev recalls.

After many years of union work (she has served as a departmental rep, is a trained disciplinary officer and is a long-serving member of the National Executive Committee, NEC), Bev

remains as determined as she ever was to continue improving working life for members at Nationwide.

“I enjoy everything that I do through the union, I don’t dislike any of it, to be honest,” Bev says. “Supporting the members, that’s always been my main priority, which is why our reps are so important: we’ve said it before, but our reps are key to making sure the members know what’s going on and how to get the support they need.”

The President is the chief ‘lay’ officer of the NGSU, whose key roles include chairing both the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Conference and being a member of the union’s negotiating team with Nationwide.

Chelmsford associate member Angela Taylor has won a fabulous trip to explore the Prosecco region of northern Italy, which was first prize in the competition run exclusively for NGSU members by our friends at Benchmark Travel.

In addition to this fantastic first prize courtesy of Benchmark Travel, there are runner-up prizes of a bottle of Prosecco, which should help overcome the disappointment of not winning for 20 lucky members. You can check if you are one of them on the NGSU Travel club website: https://www.ngsutravelclub.co.uk/ If entering the competition has whetted your appetite for a taste of Italy, you can book a holiday of your own through Benchmark Travel, which organises a range of different tours of the Prosecco region, from one to four days in length.

Find out more at Prosecco Road tours at www.benchmarktravel.co.uk

8 93 JULY 19

Help us set our priorities With NGSU National Conference coming up this autumn, this is your chance to help set the agenda for the next two years by feeding your ideas into the union’s main policy-making forum.

What is NGSU National Conference?

National Conference is where we come together as a union to set our goals for the next two years. We discuss your ideas (in the form of motions) about what our priorities should be when we sit down to negotiate with Nationwide.

How do I raise an issue at conference?

It’s easy. Tell us what the issue is and what you’d like done about it and we will take it from there.

Log on to https://bit.ly/2X5j7dL and set out your idea for a motion on the form at the bottom of the page before the closing date, which is Friday 23 August 2019.

Once you press ‘Submit’, we will then send your idea to your local union rep. They will contact you to discuss your concerns and work with you and with us to draft a motion that conference can discuss.

In order to protect your confidentiality, you won’t be identified as the source of the motion at conference, in Union Mail or Rapport, online or anywhere else.

What happens once the motion is drafted?

The Standing Orders Committee (SOC) checks the wording of every motion to ensure that its aims would not breach either union rules or the law of the land.

As long as the SOC approves your motion, it will be included on the conference agenda for debate.

NGSU National Conference takes place on Monday 7 and Tuesday 8 October at the St John’s Hotel in Solihull.

What happens to my motion at conference?

A union rep from your Regional Council will propose and second your motion to conference, and

THE UNION MAKES US STRONG Do you know someone who isn’t in the union?

Please talk to them about the benefits of joining.

Improving the working lives of our members is our top priority, and we have made some big advances in recent times (see sidebar).

The more than 12,700 members we have right now are an important factor in our ability to make a positive impact on the employment environment at Nationwide. But the more members we have, the stronger our collective voice can be to make things better for everyone.

We devote all our resources to support members interests at work. It’s easy to join online – www.ngsu.org.uk or call 01295 710767 for an application form.

WHAT WE’VE ACHIEVED SINCE 2017 ● Paid maternity / adoption leave increased incrementally to 26 weeks from next year plus the right to phase your return over 12 weeks. ● Additional paid leave for premature births (before 37 weeks) plus four weeks’ paid hospital leave for partners. ● Paid paternity leave increased to six weeks from next year plus additional rights to support your partner at antenatal appointments.

the conference chair (usually the NGSU president) will then invite delegates to speak in support of your motion or against it.

At the end of each debate, the conference chair then calls for a vote by all the delegates. If more than two-thirds of them vote for your motion, it becomes union policy.

How do policies get put into practice?

If delegates pass your motion with the required majority, the National Executive Committee (NEC) then decides the best approach to securing your objective. The NEC regularly reports on the progress of motions and then submits a formal report to the 2021 national conference.

REP OF THE YEAR We want to hear from you about a district or departmental rep who went the extra mile for you or working on behalf of a group of members.

Vote for your rep of the year at https://bit.ly/2FxHZ7K or email us at ngsu@ngsu.org.uk

● Six-week paid sabbatical for 25 years’ service plus additional time off at five-year milestone under revised Recognising Loyalty scheme. ● Extra day of annual leave for employees with up to 15 years’ service from next year. ● Bereavement leave increased to up to 20 days with more flexibility when it can be taken to support with funeral arrangements and including the anniversary of the loss of your loved one. ● More support for carers and parents to support dependants at nonemergency appointments with up to five days’ paid Family Support Leave. ● More financial support for buying glasses if extras (e.g. tints) are needed for medical reasons. ● Agency workers’ paid at least at the minimum salary range for an equivalent employee, with 24 days’ holiday entitlement plus paid time off to attend antenatal appointments and rights to apply for internal vacancies. ● Welfare Loan (financial support in the form of an interest free loan) increased from £300 to £500. ● Performance management: removal of the ‘calibration’ process to help with fairer distribution of annual ratings. Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) replaced with more positive Performance Support Agreements (PSAs). ● Working with P&C to improve phased return to work plans after absence and redeployment opportunities. ● Customer Service Trackers: Red Alerts replaced with Learning Alerts.

10 93 JULY 19

I had a time-bomb ticking in my head Tracey Cox only discovered she had a brain aneurysm by chance.

This is what happened next.

W

hen Tracey Cox went to see her GP three years ago about the tinnitus that had suddenly begun to bother her, she had no idea it would turn out to be a life-changing appointment.

Not that it seemed very significant at the time. Tracey was routinely referred to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist who thought there was nothing to worry about, although they organised a scan to be on the safe side.

The real upheaval seemed to be in her home life at the time, as her husband of 32 years had left Tracey and their two sons, returned the day she had her scan, and then finally packed his bags for good shortly afterwards.

It was only when Tracey called the hospital about her results that she picked up the first clue that all might not be well: the scans had been passed on to a neurosurgeon, she discovered from the person on the other end of the phone.

“I said to her, ‘That means they’ve found something, then,” Tracey recalls. ‘She said she couldn’t tell me – and then rang me back later to say the doctor would see me between patients the following week.”

A week later and Tracey was sat in a hospital office with a woman holding her hand while the doctor explained

what the scan had shown up.

There was a massive aneurysm (a balloon-like swelling on a brain artery) that urgently required surgery, otherwise it could rupture with potentially fatal consequences: 60 per cent of people who suffer such a haemorrhage are dead within a fortnight.

Time was clearly of the essence, so when the hospital lost the original scans, Tracey opted to see a neuro-vascular surgeon privately (as she was still covered by her husband’s health insurance).

WHERE TO GO FOR HELP Headway is the UK charity that provides vital support and information services to help improve people’s lives after brain injury, including: ● a freephone helpline ● an award-winning website with factsheets on all aspects of brain injury ● booklets and publications designed to help people understand and cope with the effects of brain injury.

Tel: 0808 800 2244 Email: helpline@headway.org.uk Website: www.headway.org.uk

After organising a second scan that autumn, Tracey’s new surgeon said he would have to operate before the end of the year. But a series of postponements to deal with other emergencies meant that Tracey only finally made it on to the operating table the following March.

Having to wait six months for such important surgery was a lot to deal with, Tracey recalls. “It was like having a ticking time-bomb in my head the whole time,” she says.

And while not having the operation before the aneurysm ruptured might have been fatal, the surgery itself also involved considerable risk – stroke, epilepsy, vegetative state and even death.

“I was concerned for my two sons – after the complete shock of their dad leaving – having to deal with all the possible outcomes with me, so I made my will in case I died on the operating table,” Tracey says.

In all, the surgery ended up taking nine and a half hours while the consultant opened up Tracey’s head, clipped off the aneurysm (to prevent possible rupture) and sewed her back up. She needed 10 days in intensive care afterwards to begin her recovery.

Although the operation was judged a success, there were already signs during those first 10 days in hospital that Tracey was not exactly the same person as she had been before she went under.

“I sat up in bed okay but I couldn’t talk or smile or laugh at first and when I did talk, I was coming out with a lot of gobbledygook,” Tracey recalls.

“That still happens now when I get tired, I can come out with utter nonsense: I don’t notice it myself but my sons are always

Tracey and her two sons have stuck together while she has recovered from her surgery

happy to point it out!”

Having already been off work for six months by the time of her operation, Tracey then had to deal with applying for Universal Credit when she returned home. But she was initially assessed as fit for work and ended up received nothing for a year until her case was reviewed.

When Tracey decided she was ready to get back to work, Nationwide agreed a phased return to build up her hours before she was back on the counter in January this year.

It’s not been easy adjusting after nearly two years away from the branch. “I do have to concentrate on one thing at a time, I shouldn’t be distracted and when I’m fatigued my brain gets confused,” Tracey says.

Throughout all the challenges of the past three years, Tracey has been able to rely on the support of her four-year-old Labrador Fizzabella and her two sons, now 25 and 22 and still living at home while they begin their working lives.

“We are dealing with a lot of stress but we’re not drama queens, we’re all the sort of people who keep on keeping on,” Tracey says.

12 93 JULY 19

Tackling pressure on resourcing Assistant General Secretary Tim Rose talks to Head of Branch Operations Lisa Brown about the working group she is leading to address some key concerns staff have about reduced or minimum resourcing in branches.

Tim: Why have you set up the working group and what are you hoping to achieve?

Lisa: We’ve listened to feedback from colleagues and the union about the impact that working on reduced resourcing can have on the wellbeing of our teams and their ability to deliver legendary service.

We know these challenges can arise in a variety of branch sizes and locations but we felt it was important to focus on those branches operating on minimum resource, which is when there are two people on the premises. A branch can operate effectively and safely with minimum resource but we’re aiming to reduce the frequency that some of our people are working in this way.

Tim: What have you done so far?

Lisa: We’re absolutely about safety first and so we’ve given priority to ensuring that we’re operating within our security procedures. Giving our teams control is an important element of this and so we’ve completed a programme of installing Secure Access System (SAS) doors for all our branches using minimum resource more than 40 hours per month.

The doors allow employees to control

or restrict customer flow into the branch remotely from the counter during quieter periods of the day or when there are operations being undertaken that require the front doors to be secured. We’ve also refreshed our training on how and when to use the SAS doors so that everyone can be confident and empowered to do so.

Tim: Can you tell us more about the flexible working pilot?

Lisa: The resourcing challenges vary from branch to branch and at different times of the day and year but typically we face issues over the lunch period and school holidays. The idea behind the flexible working contract is to have colleagues who are mobile and can work in a variety of locations to respond to known resourcing issues, with working patterns and hours that suit their personal needs. This really works for people who have children, who are carers or simply people who would like fewer hours with the variety of working in different locations!

We’ve trialled this in a number of districts and are now rolling it out across the branch network. The early indications are this works well where there are clusters of branches close

Lisa: We know that there are still pressure points and that additional challenges emerge from time to time, such as supporting colleagues who are taking sabbaticals and recently, taking back some branch calls. We’re continuing to work with relevant teams to support branches and develop tools and procedures that make it easier to plan resources and complete operational tasks and effective resourcing continues to be a high priority for our regional and local directors. together and is helping us think more creatively about resourcing solutions.

Tim: Resourcing issues are impacting on medium and large branches, too: what can be done to support them?

Lisa: We’ve been working with each region to help them develop their own localised plan to give them the ability to effectively manage their resources across all branches.

This is about planning to address controllable elements that affect resourcing levels such as holiday planning, sharing resources between branches and changing opening hours that better reflect member demand and local market conditions.

Of course, it’s much harder to cope with non-controllable events that impact on resourcing levels at short notice, such as sickness absence or a complex transaction that takes colleagues away from the counter for prolonged periods. This is when we need teams to support each other and initiatives such as the flexible working contract can help with this.

Tim: The feedback we’re getting suggests there is still pressures on resourcing: is there more you can do?

We’d like to hear about your experiences of resourcing in branches: join the discussion on the Forum on the NGSU website.

Tim: Isn’t the answer simply to increase the number of branch employees?

Lisa: The way Nationwide members are using our branches is changing and this means that determining the right level of resources across all branches, now and in the future, is complex. I think the challenge is greater than just having bigger teams.

It’s about having the right number of people, at the right times, to meet our members’ needs, in a safe working environment. Initiatives such as flexible working, improving recruitment processes, being creative with opening hours and effective planning will help us meet this challenge.

Tim: What’s next?

Lisa: We’ll continue to work with colleagues across the business and with NGSU to support our branches in resourcing effectively and efficiently.

If anyone is feeling under pressure, I’d encourage them to talk to their manager and local director and seek support from their union rep. We’ll be reviewing process and seeking further feedback from union and reps at local Employee Involvement Committee (EIC) meetings and our next national EIC in October.

14 93 JULY 19

QA &

My partner has to attend a hospital appointment and they won’t be able to drive afterwards. Do I have to take annual leave to accompany them or is there other support available?

The new Family Support Leave is designed to provide support in these types of circumstances. You can take up to five days of paid leave to help with caring for dependants and this can include attending nonemergency medical appointments.

The leave is primarily intended to support carers and parents with children under five and can be used to support older children in complex circumstances. More details can be found in the Other Family Friendly Leave Policy in the HR Policy Point and NGSU website.

I’m going to a meeting at a different location to my normal place of work that will involve an extra 90 minutes travelling time on top of my normal daily commute and a 6.30am start.

Can I claim any time back?

Travelling for business is considered as ‘work’ and therefore something that you should do within your contracted hours. Ideally, meetings should be scheduled to start and finish at times that cause minimum disruption to normal travelling

Family Support Leave: for the rest of 2019, you can take up to three days’ paid leave.

More details can be found in the Other Family Friendly Leave Policy in the HR Policy Point and NGSU website www.ngsu.org.uk

arrangements and commitments (such as the ‘school run’).

If that’s not possible, and you have to work longer hours to accommodate extra travelling, you should be able to claim the time back. From a contractual point of view, this is planned overtime and normally compensated with TimeOff-In-Lieu (TOIL) but is probably best dealt with by some pragmatic flexible working arrangements.

We’ve gone Yammer mad in our business area and we’re being encouraged to post more and increase our profile. It seems that if you want to get promoted you’ve got to be seen on Yammer: do I have to take part?

Yammer is a great communication tool but like other types of social media, it’s not for everyone and there’s no contractual requirement for you to use it. If other team members want to post photographs that include you, they should seek your permission first – you don’t have to agree.

Although Yammer might help you get noticed, you’ll still need to show that you’ve got the necessary skills and knowledge to do the job – it’s in nobody’s interests to promote on the basis of a social media profile!

T

lb x

You can save the cost of your monthly union subscriptions by taking advantage of hundreds of savings available from our benefits website, NGSU Extras.

By registering with NGSU Extras, you can also activate your Corporate Perks account, which is an additional online shopping website that offers great pricing and discounts from a range of top retailers.

to employee pricing on cinema tickets, as well as the ability to easily redeem your WOWPoints on your purchase. Save at 400-plus cinemas nationwide including: Cineworld, Odeon, Vue and Empire.

Save up to 60 per cent at theme parks Save up to 60 per cent on tickets for top attractions such as Thorpe Park, Alton Towers, Legoland and SeaLife.

How it works Corporate Perks gives you access to some great deals and you can earn WOWPoints if you purchase online from Corporate Perks.

WOWPoints WOWPoints are an online currency that you earn when you shop on Corporate Perks. 100 WOWPoints are worth £1 and you can spend them in a number of ways, including paying for shopping cards, purchasing online cinema tickets or transferring to your current account as cash.

Register a credit or debit card to your Corporate Perks account and you’ll earn WOWPoints when you shop with this card. In-Store Rewards includes retailers such as Waitrose and Partners, Morrisons, Matalan, Hungry Horse and Sunglass Hut. Save more than 50 per cent at the cinema CinemaPerks gives you exclusive access

You can watch the ‘How to register’ video on our website https://ngsu.org. uk/ngsu-extras/ or you can call us on 01295 710767.

Save on a range of shopping cards Save on a huge range of vouchers and gift cards for supermarkets (Sainsbury, Tesco, ASDA) department stores (John Lewis & Partners, M&S), fashion and much more for a rewarding shopping experience.

Activate your Corporate Perks account You’ll need to register with NGSU Extras at https://ngsu. salary-extras.co.uk/ using the organisation name ‘NGSU’ and company password ‘benefits’.

From the NGSU Extras home page, select ‘Lifestyle Benefits’ from the left-hand menu and then select ‘Corporate Perks’. Simply follow the instructions to activate your account and start saving.

16 93 JULY 19

PRIZE WORDSEARCH

Q T I D E S E N L L Q I I A C S G

WIN £25 voucher One lucky winner will receive a £25 book or iBook token. Simply find the words that are all related to the seaside. Completed entries should be sent to Middleton Cheney by 30 August with your name and membership number filled in below.

BEACHBALL BOAT COAST FISH AND CHIPS ICE CREAM LIFEGUARD

PIER SAND SEAGULL SUNGLASSES TIDE YACHT

Name

I D F T U C H N T B C N F P B F F

R V I B C Z Q J B E A U L E D P H

S Z S D A E A O C B A A A M S J

U I H K P N Z R X P K C U Z G L

N L A B V E E M Y O H F T B G N

G I N C O A S T U B W D F O Q P

L F D C M C D Q A H A Y T A H I

A E C Z P N I L E J W P P T L X

S G H Y I O L A M D C U J G C L

S U I A E B H H O H L E U J X M

E A P C R Z M F G X L D J B K K

S R S H M S E A G U L L S V B T

N D D T R K N Y R U S A N D C M

N W K N A Y L A Z D E

Membership number

Please return to: NGSU, Middleton Farmhouse, 37 Main Road, Middleton Cheney, Banbury, Oxfordshire OX17 2QT

YOU COULD WIN UP TO £15,000!

It’s easy to enter our monthly subscription draw and give yourself a chance of winning up to £15,000.

Simply complete a prize draw form and let us know how many £1 chances you would like to buy every month (between one and ten). 75 per cent of the total paid in every month is returned in cash prizes to members, while the rest is put towards the day-to-day running of the union – helping to keep membership rates low. With around 30,000 draw entries a month, the odds are much better than the National Lottery!

Download the Monthly Draw Form: https://bit.ly/2tu17Nf or call us for more information: 01295 710767 LATEST FIRST PRIZE WINNERS JUNE 2019 141472 £14,342 Seral Denizer MAY 2019 094204 £14,320 Andrea Smith APRIL 2019 094850 £14,278 Adam Parsons MARCH 2019 146943 £14,282 Anita Mason

Threadneedle Street Associate Member NAC Swindon NH

£269,761

Total prize money won by NGSU members in 2018

Rapport

July 2019

Editorial board Bev Cubbon (President), Tim Rose (Assistant General Secretary) Editorial Martin Moriarty martinmoriarty@mac.com Design & production The Design Mill www.the-design-mill.co.uk Printed in the UK Banbury Litho www.banburylitho.co.uk

Having started work at Anglia Building Society in 1969, Nick Giddings is the longest-serving member of staff at Nationwide. He talks about why he has been an NGSU member since the union was formed 29 years ago.

You can always rely on the union I joined the NGSU when the union was formed in 1990 through the amalgamation of the Anglia Building Society Staff Association and the Nationwide Building Society Staff Association.

The old staff association at the Anglia was able to pick up minor niggles that staff had but they weren’t independent from the building society: there was the conflict that they were being paid by Anglia at the same time as talking to Anglia employees about any problems.

As a long-serving member at the time of the merger, it was clear to me that there would be some reorganisation and I thought it would be a good idea to be represented by the new union if I needed to be. So that’s why I joined straight away.

We were also still in the Thatcher era at that time, when employment law was being tightened all the time, so that was another reason to join.

I always felt that the more people that were in the union, the stronger the position we would be in when it came to pay negotiations and working conditions across the whole group.

If you’re representing 10 per cent of the staff, management can turn around and say, ‘Why should we listen to you?’ But if you have 70 per cent of staff (as we have), you can

Nationwide staff can join NGSU online at www. ngsu.org.uk or telephone 01295 710767 for an application form.

Congratulation s to Nick from everyone at NG SU for 50 years’ service this Au gust – that’s what we call loyalty!

say to them, ‘We have a mandate to discuss what we want to do about what they are unhappy about.’

As well as that, there are all the services and benefits that have been developed that make it worth your while to join and to stay in membership. I’ve called the law firm Slater and Gordon for free legal advice several times, including when I was selling my house and there was a dispute about the land.

When I rang the firm, they came up with the answer immediately, whereas without them I would have had to pay £50 or £100 to a solicitor for that advice. You can get your money back very quickly by taking advantage of the benefits on offer.

Employment law is so complicated and Nationwide has so many policies, so if you happen to be drawn into a dispute about your holiday or time off to look after a relative, as a union member you have complete peace of mind that you know where to go for independent, impartial advice and representation, if necessary.

And when the world is changing through automation and artificial intelligence, we all need the focal point for advice and support that the union is.

NGSU is like the trusted colleague you can go to about anything to do with your employment.

18 93 JULY 19

SUMMARY FINANCIAL INFORMATION EXTRACTED FROM THE FULL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS SUMMARY INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNTS (GENERAL AND CHARITABLE FUNDS) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

2018 2017

£’000 £’000

Subscriptions Other income Unrealised gain on investments

1,326 127 (11)

1,291 123 23

Total income

1,442

1,437

Total expenditure

(1,385) (1,304)

Surplus for the year Accumulated surplus brought forward Accumulated surplus carried forward

57

133

1,418 1,475

1,285 1,418

SUMMARY OF SALARIES AND BENEFITS PROVIDED Details Amount Salary £133,656 Pension Contributions £20,048 (The Union makes contributions of 15% of salary on behalf of all staff) Car and other allowances £9,893

Fixed assets Debtors and prepayments Cash at bank Creditors and accruals

1,095 28 500 (148)

942 31 553 (108)

1,475

1,418

Income and Expenditure account Charitable Fund

1,468 7

1,404 14

1,475

1,418

ANALYSIS OF GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018 Services to members 72% Meeting expenses 8% Administration expenses 10% Premises and equipment costs 10%

%

Ad ex mini pe nse strat s 10 ion %

10

The Union is required to issue this financial statement to Members under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (Amended) Year ended 31 December 2018. A copy of the full financial statements is available on the Union’s website in the members’ only area. If you would like a copy you can also write to Tim Rose at Middleton Cheney.

2018 2017

£’000 £’000

ts

The members of the National Executive Committee do not receive any salary from the Union or any benefits. All members of the National Executive Committee are reimbursed for any expenditure incurred by them in the performance of their duties on behalf of the Union, as are the General Secretary and the President.

s & os ise ent c em Pr uipm eq

Name Position T R Poil General

Secretary

SUMMARY BALANCE SHEET AT 31 DECEMBER 2018

Meeting expenses 8% Services to members 72%

accounts STATUTORY IRREGULARITY STATEMENT We are required by the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (Amended) to include the following declaration in this statement to all members.

The wording is as prescribed by the Act. The irregularity statement, the exact wording which is reproduced below: “A member who is concerned that some irregularity may be occurring, or have occurred, in the conduct of the financial affairs of the union may take steps with a view to investigating further, obtaining clarification and, if necessary, securing regularisation of that conduct. The member may raise any such concerns with such one or more of the following as it seems appropriate to raise it with: the officials of the union, the trustees of the property of the union, the auditor or auditors of the union, the Certification Officer (who is an independent officer appointed by the Secretary of State) and the police. Where a member believes that the financial affairs of the union have been or are being conducted in breach of the law or in breach of rules of the union and contemplates bringing civil proceedings against the union or responsible officials or trustees, he should consider obtaining independent legal advice.”

REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITORS Set out below is the report of the independent auditors to the members as contained in the accounts of the Union for the year ended 31 December 2018: Opinion We have audited the financial statements of the Nationwide Group Staff Union [“The Union”] for the year ended 31 December 2018 which comprise the Income and Expenditure account, the Statement of Comprehensive Income, the Balance Sheet, the Statement of Changes in Equity, the Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of the significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements: • Give a true and fair view of the state of the Union’s affairs as at 31 December 2018 and of its income and expenditure for the year then ended; and • Have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

Basis for opinion We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the Union in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to the audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the ISA’s (UK) require us to report to you where: • The National Executive Committee’s use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is not appropriate; or • The National Executive Committee has not disclosed in the financial statements any identified material uncertainties that may cast significant doubt about the Union’s ability to continue to adopt a going concern basis of accounting for a period of at least twelve months from the date when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Other information The National Executive Committee is responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditors report thereon. Our opinion of the financial

statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise expect illicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception The Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (Amended) requires us to report to you if, in our opinion: • A satisfactory system of control over transactions has not been maintained; or • The Union has not kept proper accounting records; or • The financial statements are not in agreement with the books of account; or • We have not received all the information and explanations we need for our audit.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Responsibilities of the National Executive Committee As explained more fully in the Statement of Responsibilities of the National Executive Committee, the National Executive Committee is responsible for the preparation of financial statements and being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the National Executive Committee determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the National Executive Committee is responsible for assessing the Union’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the National Executive Committee either intends to liquidate the Union or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion.

Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in according with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are consider material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at http://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities.

This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report to the members of The Union This report is made solely to the Union’s members, as a body. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the Union’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Union and the Union’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

H W FISHER & COMPANY Chartered Accountants Statutory Auditor Dated: 10 April 2019

Acre House 11 – 15 William Road London NW1 3ER United Kingdom

NGSU Commission Rebate Scheme Our whole-of-market Premium Comparison Service can help you (and your immediate family) quote, arrange and apply for insurance policies, such as: Mortgage protection Income protection Life assurance Critical illness cover The insurance provider will pay us commission for our work in arranging and applying for your protection policy. Due to our unique relationship with NGSU, we are delighted to be able to give you an exclusive 50% commission rebate.

Case Study: Sarah & John takes out a Legal & General Life with Critical Illness plan to protect their £150,000 mortgage. Monthly premium of £62 and they received an exclusive commission rebate of £670!

Receive an exclusive 50% rebate of all insurance commission

£501

the average rebate to members in 2018

In short, you will have peace of mind with the financial protection you need and you’ll be rewarded for doing so.

Just fill out a short online form which should only take you 3-4 minutes and leave the rest to us.

Online quotation form:

www.ifswp.co.uk/ngsu or email: info@ifswp.co.uk

Call: 020 8610 9811 Monday to Friday 9am-5.30pm

IFSWP and NGSU Commission Rebate Scheme are trading styles of IFS Wealth & Pensions Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Firm Reference No. 713063.

Registered in England No. 08699259. Registered Office: 45 Rusper Road, London N22 6RA.