‘
What a difference a year makes’
Superdrug Stores is the UK’s second largest
health and beauty retailer with more than 910 stores. Superdrug’s
Northern Distribution Centre is based at South Elmsall, near
Pontefract in West Yorkshire. The NRDC (Northern Region
Distribution Centre) covers 240,000 square feet and has a team of
over 300 employees.
In one calendar year the employees at Superdrug
NRDC have experienced both the highest of highs and lowest of
lows. On the 4th November 2009 more 261 Unite
members downed tools as a result of management’s assault on their
wages and working conditions. After this struggle you would
naturally think the Superdrug Crew would want to relax and take
things easy? Not a chance – the Superdrug crew were up for
the next challenge in the form of negotiating and setting up a
learning partnership with the company to ensure all its members and
potential members had access to learning, education and training
opportunities – in light of the recent hostile relationship, a
challenge indeed!
After a number of discussions with the Workplace
Reps committee I was invited to attend a meeting on the
5th March 2010 with the Workplace Reps committee and the
management team at Superdrug NRCD to discuss setting up a joint
learning venture.
Since that initial meeting a lot has taken
place. Unite LLL team have undertaken awareness days where
150 employees responded enthusiastically to the idea of developing
a learning agenda and learning centre at Superdrug NRCD. We
recruited and trained 2 new Union Learning Representative and
delivered 48 one-to-one information, advice and guidance sessions
which the workplace reps negotiated time off to attend. All
this hard work paid off when on the 13th October a
learning agreement was signed between the company and Unite the
Union.
Significantly, the learning agreement contains a
number of substantive points and provides for employees to receive
full paid release for skills for life and ICT courses. Other
important inclusions within the learning agreement are: time
off and facilities for ULRs, the provision of a learning centre and
the setting up of a Learning committee. Importantly, the purpose of
the learning committee will be to enable union representatives,
management and where appropriate other stake holders to jointly
develop, implement and monitor work-based learning
initiatives. In addition, agreement in principle has been
reached to influence organisational policy in relation to learning
with one of our elected ULRs being invited to sit on the company
training committee to support/monitor/evaluate development of
training programmes.
Although it is early days I feel development in
relation to the learning agenda has changed the tone of contact
between management and the union. Both parties have focused
on a collaborative approach and mutual gains in terms of a
motivated and skilled workforce, employability of our members and
importantly, for Unite the learning agenda at Superdrug has the
potential to increase union membership and density and thus union
bargaining
What a difference a year makes?
- Looking forward
As we move into 2011 the ULRs and workplace reps
at Superdrug NRCD are chomping at the bit to get things
moving. Late January should see the opening of the new
learning centre and then things will really start to happen.
Already the reps have over 50 names put forward for the first ICT
course and with another 40 people signed up to skills for life they
are in for a very busy time.
In the mean time the reps are busy structuring
and organising the learning by meeting providers and using those
well developed negotiating skills to get the best quality provision
possible plus sending out newsletter to keep everyone motivated and
on board.
Yes, a very busy and challenging time ahead but
these reps have risen to many challenges over the past year and
won!
