n By Hajera Blagg


Unite


Unite signed a landmark national recognition agreement in October with housing and social care provider Mears, which employs over 10,000 people nationally.


The agreement will mean that the outsourced local government building workers, who mostly work in maintenance and repairs of social homes, will benefit from union recognition and collective bargaining agreements for the first time. Unite will also have unfettered right of access to Mears workplaces to organise and recruit.


buildingWORKER spoke to Unite Mears convenor Craig Patterson, (pictured centre) who explained how Unite worked tirelessly behind the scenes to secure this unprecedented agreement.


An initial agreement was ready to be signed last year, but Craig and Unite national officers for construction and local authorities, Jason Poulter (far right) and Clare Keogh (pictured) respectively, wanted to rewrite the agreement and start from scratch.


“We thought we could substantially


improve on the previous agreement,” he said. “We took it to the CEO and the HR director, who came back with many recommendations such as including a no-strike clause.


“We went back to them and emphasised that taking strike action is a human right – a right that has been massively eroded by anti-strike legislation,” he added. “What’s more, strikes are our members very last resort – they don’t take action lightly.”


After more than a year of back-and- forth negotiations, Unite and Mears emerged with a deal that will signal a new dawn for thousands of outsourced workers employed by Mears across the country.


Craig noted that the agreement has come at a time when Unite has made great strides for members’ pay and conditions over the last 18 months. Some of the improvements include five extra days holiday, enhanced sick pay for up to 10 weeks, and family friendly policies.


Last year, Unite also won big for members on pay – in addition to a


deal Agreement with housing builder Mears gives members strong voice


national pay award of £2,000, workers received an average of a 14 per cent pay rise on top.


Now with the new recognition agreement in place, which makes Unite the only recognised union at Mears, for Craig, it’s only onwards and upwards from here.


Unite local authorities national officer Clare Keogh hailed the agreement and explained its significance. “This agreement is so important, given the numbers of outsourced local government workers currently without the benefit of union recognition and collective bargaining agreements,” she said. “Crucially, it gives us right of access to Mears’ workplaces so we can recruit and organise, ensuring workers are protected,” Clare added.


Unite general secretary Sharon Graham likewise praised this key


achievement and the work the Unite team took to make it a reality. “Unite’s team of workplace representatives and officers have secured a landmark agreement which will give thousands of workers a powerful and effective voice at work.”


Strong voice – Unite team with Mears CEO


Mark Thomas


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