Tag Archives: Estates Management

COUNCIL’S ESTATE MANAGEMENT TEAM STRIKE ACTION LATEST

Leave a reply

Senior Unite bureaucrats on manoeuvres with workers’ sellout Slo’ Kev Slocombe as strike date looms over Rees’s bullying culture at City Hall

This just in from Unison Bristol:

Increased pressure on delivery for the Estates Management team (your housing officers) has been coming from the political level. Pressure, in turn, from tenants and associated tenants’ groups has led to a stressed-out team, run-ragged with extra work piled on an already impossible workload.

Impossible targets, a terrible consultation regime and staff not being believed has led to a ballot for strike action supported by both Unite and UNISON.

Yesterday, Unite with a big-wig from Unite head office met with Kevin Slocombe (from the mayor’s office). Management stated in writing that they were representing Unite only and didn’t want anyone else (ie, Unison) coming.

We have, up until this point, maintained a single-status approach when bargaining with the employer so if this alliance is only one-way we will abandon joint-working and go it alone with everything else in the council.

We have already made this decision about joint-working at Bristol Waste (subsequent to this announcement by Unite) but it will take a while to disentangle ourselves at Bristol City Council. Lay stewards from all unions work well together and it will take time and some getting used to.

In the meantime we are arranging a meeting with Kevin and management but without any big-wigs.

We were uneasy joining a meeting with union political officers and politicians – what has politics got to do with management stressing their staff out? – but there you go.

At the moment strike action is tabled for 21 October for both Unite and UNISON unless the members decide to accept whatever comes out of these meetings.

Bristol Branch Unison 13 10 2022

MONEY TO BURN: ANTONA COURT IN COURT?

1 Reply

Skint they say? Well it looks like Bristol City Council have got plenty of money to fight POINTLESS cases in the COUNTY COURT.

So look out for the TRIAL OF THE CENTURY coming soon to Bristol Civil Justice Centre when our idiot council will bravely fight to keep the shared laundry facility at Antona Court, Shirehampton CLOSED between 8.00pm and 8.00am for no apparent reason!

It appears that the council decided, without any consultation whatsoever, to close the 24-hour laundry, which residents pay a fee to use, last Thursday and have courageously IGNORED any complaints from tenants since.

Resident Steve Norman has therefore FILED A CASE at the County Court demanding the reinstatement of UNLIMITED use of the laundry pending proper consultation and asking for compensation for loss of amemity and breach of tenancy. The council have responded that they will “await to hear from the Bristol Civil Justice Centre.”

Whether the council’s actions at Antona Court form part of the Rev Rees’s legendarily stupid TORY CUTS programme or whether this is just his Estate Management team playing at being twats over Antona Court again is unclear. Mainly because the Reverend and his minions are TOTALLY SILENT on any of the specifics regarding their latest BIZARRE ACTION at the legendary block of flats.

So how much is all this pointless legal bullshit likely to cost us? And isn’t it funny how there’s plenty of cash and resources around to take on the PEASANTS in court over shared laundry facilities and their opening times but no cash around to fight DEVELOPERS in court who don’t meet social housing obligations?

We’re being had.