GMB branch secretaries to strike over employment status

Full time GMB branch secretaries, working for the UK’s third largest trade union, will be on strike on 29 May and 5 June. Unite the Union, which represents GMB staff, has called the action.

The strikers accuse GMB of hypocrisy, as the union campaigns against exploitative two-tier workforces by companies like Uber and Deliveroo, but GMB itself refuses to offer employment rights for part of its own, full-time workforce. Equivalent roles in Unison and Unite receive employment status.

GMB denies employment status to full time branch secretaries, even though they work at a very high level, control budgets and manage other people. In particular, GMB branch secretaries are excluded from GMB’s gold-plated final salary pension scheme. Instead they’re in the government’s NEST pension scheme, which is the statutory bare minimum.

GMB full time branch secretaries also lack job security, as GMB insists that the regional office can close their branch, and throw them out of office at any time.

Alex Mitchell, spokesperson for the strikers said:

These full-time GMB branch secretaries tell me that their employer takes them for fools, denying them the respect that they are due as experienced and highly expert trade union officials.

It is outrageous that GMB locks them out of the final salary pension scheme, even though these individuals work full time for GMB, and have done for many years.

Unite members working as full-time branch secretaries for GMB have been trying to negotiate a settlement to this dispute for over a year behind closed doors, but are being met with a stone wall. They therefore feel that they have no alternative other than to take industrial action themselves.

GMB must stop this disgraceful practice of a two tier workforce, and to acknowledge full time branch secretaries as employees, with secure status, a fair wage, and a decent pension.

GMB branch secretaries – a two tier workforce

Several GMB branch secretaries have very large branches of several thousand members, and work full time for the union. They have no other employment. The income of these branch secretaries depends upon the size of the branch, and this is negotiated between the branch secretaries and GMB. Secretaries are elected by the members of their branches.

These full time branch secretaries work at a very high level. For example:

• Advising and representing members about their workplace issues.
• Negotiating with employers.
• Leading industrial action.
• Leading campaigns for trade union recognition.
• Mentoring and training shop stewards.
• Talking to the press.
• Representing GMB as witnesses in litigation.

They work on a peer to peer basis with regional organisers, who are employed by the GMB region. The work of both GMB full time branch secretaries and GMB regional organisers involves high-level representation, negotiation and strategic thinking.

The full time branch secretaries also manage a budget, and supervise and manage other branch officers and shop stewards. Because these full-time branch secretaries are very experienced, they often mentor and support new, less experienced, regional organisers.

Despite the key role these branch secretaries play, GMB treats them with disrespect and denies them security of employment:

• The full time branch secretaries are denied employment status.
• Because they are not acknowledged to be employees, they are vulnerable if a GMB staff member makes a complaint about them. Their livelihood can be threatened.
• GMB regional secretaries claim to have the power to close down branches at any time, without any process, and therefore deny branch secretaries their livelihood.
• GMB branch secretaries often feel that the organisation regards them as disposable, because they are not acknowledged as employees, and GMB does not consider that it has any welfare responsibility towards them.
• GMB branch secretaries are excluded from GMB’s gold-plated final salary 1961 pension scheme. Instead they are put in the government’s NEST pension scheme, which is the statutory minimum that GMB can get away with.
• The GMB 1961 Pension scheme extends final salary benefits not only to staff, but also to some individuals who are not staff, but full time branch secretaries are excluded.
• They earn around half as much as GMB regional organisers. Full time branch secretaries earn up to about £30k to £32k per year on average, compared to around £50k to £56k range for regional organisers (excluding London weighting).
• They are unable to bring grievances if they are mistreated.
• Disabled branch secretaries have been denied occupational health referrals, and denied reasonable adjustments.

History

In 2006, two GMB branch secretaries, Hughes and Beaumont, won a case at the employment appeal tribunal that they were in fact employees. The facts are almost exactly the same today for current full-time branch secretaries.

As recently as about five years ago, a full time branch secretary in GMB Southern Region did have the status of an employee, before his retirement. His situation was almost exactly the same as current GMB full-time branch secretaries.

In GMB’s rule book, Rule 18(b) includes the category of “employees without a contract of employment”, which has in the past been used for these full time, elected branch secretaries.

Previously, GMB full time branch secretaries were enrolled in the final salary “stakeholder pension” that was broadly equivalent to the staff 1961 pension scheme. GMB closed this down, denying current branch secretaries a decent pension.

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