Manpower
Pay for agency staff at one of Manpower’s biggest clients, BT, is a continuing source of concern to the Communication Workers Union (CWU). However, recognition and partnership agreements with the agency itself give the union the opportunity to represent Manpower employees. As a result it has been able to seek improvements in their disciplinary procedure, and been consulted on proposed changes in attendance policy, sickness absence, probationary periods and travel and subsistence arrangements.
Employer
Manpower describes itself as one of the largest employment agencies in the UK providing a range of services including permanent, temporary and contract recruitment, training, assessment and outsourcing. It has an active client base of thousands of user enterprises including BT.
Unions
Manpower operates in both unionised and non-unionised workplaces in the public and private sectors, and says it has good relationships with trade unions. Its Employee Handbook recommends all staff to consider joining a relevant union. The agency has recognition agreements with Unite as well as CWU but also works with other unions, where appropriate, to ensure “excellent workplace relations in order to deliver the best quality service to our clients and the best possible terms and conditions for our employees”.
Manpower has worked with the Transport and General Workers union (now the T&G section of Unite) since the 1960s and signed a recognition agreement in 1988. It has two drivers who are T&G Unite representatives, with facilities time, working for it across the UK. Its recognition agreement with the CWU, Working in Partnership, was re-signed in 2002. This is applied at local level, including at BT’s Warrington call centre, by the union’s branches.
Workforce
Manpower employs over 30,000 people through a network of over 300 UK offices. Sectors and job-types that it typically deals with include contact centres, driving, public sector, finance and accountancy, office and administrative, PA and secretarial, production and assembly, retail, technical, warehouse and distribution, IT, and engineering. At the time that this report was written the agency had 400 workers at BT’s Warrington call centre working alongside approximately 700 directly-employed staff, organised from a dedicated on-site office.
Agency workers
Manpower employs temporary workers under a full employment contract, providing benefits which it says exceed the statutory minimum, as well as access to training and personal development courses. It takes responsibility for tax and National Insurance (NI) deductions as well as redundancy rights, maternity pay, holiday and sick pay. While some agency workers have trouble getting paid holiday, holiday entitlement for those at Manpower begins to accrue from their first day of work with the agency and must be taken before the end of the holiday year.
In terms of pay levels, Manpower’s handbook says: “Your pay rate may go up or down, both between assignments and/or in the same assignment, according to the requirements of our clients and the needs of our business”. Manpower employees may be eligible to receive Statutory Sick Pay and benefit under its sickness and accident benefit scheme, and – in the case of this agency at least - there are a range of other benefits, a grievance procedure and a three-stage disciplinary procedure.
Benefits of recognition
The CWU’s recognition agreement sets out partnership principles governing relationships with the agency and spells out what these mean in practical terms. For example it covers the training of CWU representatives, and the commitment to consult the union “wherever possible and appropriate” on all contractual terms and conditions of service (including pay and pensions matters, hours of attendance, attendance arrangements, related employment issues, job security, and health and safety). Manpower staff will not replace striking workers nor be required to cross picket lines or undertake duties normally carried out by striking workers. The recognition agreement is supplemented by a formal facilities agreement and disagreements procedure.
An example of what recognition means in practice arose in early 2008 when the union was advised of plans to pilot Manpower’s Travel and Subsistence Arrangement (TSA) in a number of areas (including Preston). The scheme effectively allows staff allowances towards travel to and from work and for food and drink, paid prior to the deduction of tax and National Insurance (a “salary sacrifice” arrangement). As a result, the union was well placed to caution Manpower employees that the scheme might not be in their best interests if they are nearing retirement age or have a state second pension (because of the impact on National Insurance contributions) and may also affect benefits like statutory sick pay, maternity, adoption or paternity pay.
A second example came towards the end of 2008. In accordance with agreed procedure, the CWU was advised by Manpower of proposed changes to its existing attendance, sick absence, late attendance and probationary period policies and procedures. As a result the union was able to submit counter-proposals, reflecting its concerns about issues of fairness.
At local level, the CWU’s Liverpool Clerical Branch has used the partnership agreement to build a good working relationship with Manpower managers at the BT Warrington call centre. It has helped the union’s Manpower rep secure time off for union business, courses, meetings and the union’s conference.
Individual cases take up most of the union’s time at the call centre but there are regular meetings with the Manpower contract manager to discuss broader issues including levels of formal disciplinaries and dismissals, problems with BT as the client, problems in recruiting as well as rates of attrition. High turnover (with an annual attrition rate of almost 100%) can be challenging both for the agency and the union, promoting a joint approach to common problems and the sharing of knowledge.
All this means that the agency will normally inform the union about any major change (eg hours, redundancies) and provide details of new entrant classes (crucial to maintaining membership levels), as well as inviting it to attend induction meetings. Union material is present at the Manpower office and members pay subscriptions directly from their wages.
Not all rosy
All is not necessarily rosy, as the union’s national Power up for Agency Pay campaign indicates, and there are times when “hard talking” is called for. The CWU has been putting pressure on BT (as the end-user of staff from agencies like Manpower) to increase pay levels for agency staff and to establish a mechanism that will result in yearly pay increases. It has contrasted pay levels of £7 or £7.50 an hour for agency workers at BT call centres with rates averaging around £12 an hour for directly-employed BT staff. It has also spoken up for BT agency workers at a time when many are loosing their jobs as the company tries to improve its profitability.
The current recognition agreement with Manpower does not, in itself give CWU the ability to argue for annual pay increases or bargain collectively with the agency. While it can have a meaningful input into business cases for pay increases that are then presented to clients like BT, the union regards this as unsatisfactory and is campaigning for a proper negotiating mechanism.
Locally, the Liverpool Clerical Branch has its disagreements with Manpower over individual cases but tries to ensure that, where possible, the Manpower employee is treated on a par with the BT employees. Difficulties can arise over the operation of Manpower’s own disciplinary procedures where BT insists on the removal of specific individuals (who may end up being kept “on the books” but not paid).
Nationally, the union has indicated that it wants to review notice periods within the disciplinary procedure, improve attendance procedures (closer to arrangements in BT) and have an agreed process for the recording of disciplinary hearings. It is also taking up the issue of Special Leave. The main priorities of its National Agency Team for Manpower UK are:
- To strengthen bargaining and play a more pro-active role on securing a pay increase
- A pro-active campaign to recruit and increase membership where all Manpower people are employed
- Training of workplace representatives in order to establish a network of Manpower representatives
- Ensuring the recognition agreement is operating effectively
- Ensure the national facilities agreement is implemented
LRD 30.01.09
