Over the coming months staff are going to be fed the usual Accord diet of whispered half-truths and downright lies about Accord’s track record and what BTU does or does not do for its members.
If you’re squeamish look away now, because we have no punches to pull on the subject of Accord, its policies and its motivations.
Accord Visits and Lies
Significantly, Accord publishes none of its allegations (used in blatant sales pitches to BTU members) because if it put its case in writing it would be shown to be lying. Instead it relies on what it hopes will be cosy, face-to-face chats, in visits facilitated by Lloyds, in the hope that naïve staff can be lured or pressured into supporting what is, after all the employer sponsored union, with all that implies.
If our experience elsewhere is anything to go by staff will be told that:
- BTU can’t represent them in face-to-face disciplinary or grievance hearings
- BTU therefore has to use written statements to represent members
- BTU has a declining membership and can’t afford to represent staff in hearings
- BTU doesn’t have enough officials to cover every area
Needless to say these claims are not just inaccurate they are downright lies.
Facts
The truth is that:
- BTU has a statutory right to represent members in hearings and there is nothing Lloyds or Accord can do to stop that. Your Accord representative will know that, so if he tells you otherwise you should call him out.
- We advise members not to opt for video disciplinary or grievance hearings in Lloyds because, frankly, we don’t know who else will be in the room guiding or instructing the hearing manager, who should make his or her own decision. Written statements are then a better option because there can then be no argument about what was or was not said. If members are invited to face-to-face hearings we always attend and if you are told anything else you are being lied to.
- As banks have shrunk so our membership and Accord’s have fallen. That’s no secret but BTU still represents more Lloyds staff than Accord. Lloyds hates the fact that this is despite massive efforts to persuade staff to switch to its sponsored union.
- It’s true that we now have an unexpected vacancy in the North East! But we expect to fill that vacancy this year. Elsewhere we are recruiting too. In the meantime, no one in Lloyds in the North East will be adversely affected in any way and if you want a visit to your office we will be there!
A Challenge To Accord
If any Accord official rubbishes BTU in a chat with you, or tries to get you to switch membership you should:
- Ask that official to put his or her allegations in writing
- Ask that official to agree to debate his allegations with me in front of you and other members in your office. I’ll be there in a flash!
- Ask the official why Accord and Lloyds have banded together to try to stop BTU speaking to staff so they are given a free choice of which union to join? For example, new entrants are forced to listen to Accord’s sales pitch.
- Ask the official how many Employment Tribunal cases Accord has taken for Lloyds staff? If you are told that it has taken cases, ask for the case numbers and don’t accept any excuse for failing to provide them. You won’t get any!
- Ask the official why Accord pays £250,000 to the TUC every year rather than using the money to fight for Lloyds staff?
- Ask the official why its General Secretary gave evidence for the Bank against BTU members in our massively important contracts case in 2013? Lloyds and Accord lost the case despite his appearance!
- Ask the official why Accord did not take action to protect the interest of members in pension schemes? BTU has won two of the biggest pension cases in UK legal history securing up to £300 million in compensation for Lloyds staff. And there’s more to come.
- Ask the official why Accord isn’t joining BTU in opposing the Bank’s pension cap, which operates entirely against the interests of staff, including its own members?
- Ask the official why Accord has agreed pay pots for the last 3 years which have made every member of staff worse off. And as a bonus question ask why in one year, Lloyds even thanked Accord for its contribution to the negotiations!
Fact Check
When you have the answers to these questions get them fact-checked by us. We’ll tell you the truth. You’ll get no glossy bank ‘spin’ from us and we’ll put our answers in writing!