Wiltshire Council - Latest statement on standby, callout and unsocial hours policy

Terence Herbert, Wiltshire Council Chief Executive, said: I am very disappointed that, following many months of negotiations, including the establishment of a working group to understand staff views, we have still been unable to reach agreement with one of our three recognised unions.

Our proposals have been accepted by members of UNISON and Unite the Union; unfortunately, GMB, despite agreeing in August that it was a generous offer that they would take to their members, chose to advise their members not to accept the offer.

We have tried to resolve this issue through constructive dialogue, and we thank both UNISON and Unite the Union for working collaboratively throughout to reach an agreement that would ensure we have standardised and consistent policies, while protecting the pay of our staff until 2027.

We have now exhausted the internal process to try to resolve this issue, and in line with our recognition agreement we will look to hold ACAS-facilitated conciliation meetings to attempt to reach an agreement with GMB.

The changes proposed to these policies will support us to be a more agile and effective organisation and to deliver our Business Plan, while ensuring we reward staff fairly and consistently for the work they do. This is a generous pay protection arrangement that will protect current staff until January 2027.

We know it has been an unsettling time for our staff, and we are disappointed that GMB, in recommending rejection of these proposals, has delayed our ability to conclude these negotiations, causing ongoing and unnecessary stress to our staff members. We thank staff for their patience and professionalism during these protracted negotiations.