Posted on: 13 August 2024

Dear Members,

The BOC Gases Pay Offer for 2024/5 was accepted by both GMB and Unite.

Unfortunately, some members did not get a ballot as it was done by email and SMS. GMB Regions will be in touch with you to update your details. As well as mobile number and email you will be asked to confirm your home address and BOC bargaining unit.

BOC Framework Agreement

The employer has been in consultation with the Trad Union and employee representatives about a new negotiations and consultation framework agreement. Further consultation will take place in the autumn. The fundamental view of GMB Shop stewards is that there must be no detriment to exiting terms and conditions of employment.

I will convene a meeting of the BOC shop stewards for early next week to discuss it.

Further bulletins will follow in due course.

Kevin Brandstatter,

National Officer

Posted on: 29 July 2024

Dear Members

The ballot has now closed and the result is that members have voted in favour of accepting the pay offer of 4% and a reduction in the working week of 30 mins with no reduction in earnings from the pay anniversary.

The results were

100% turnout

75

88% voted to Accept

12% voted to Reject

We will now inform the company of the result and thank you for your participation in the ballot.

Yours on behalf of the national committee

Gill Ogilvie

National Lead Organiser

GMB Private Sector Section

Posted on: 26 July 2024

Dear Members,

The ballot has now closed and the result is that members have voted in favour of

accepting the pay offer of 4% from the pay anniversary.

The results were

92% turnout

77% voted to Accept

23% voted to Reject

We will now inform the company of the result and thank you for your participation in the

ballot.

Many thanks,

Gill Ogilvie

National Lead Organiser

GMB Private Sector Section

Posted on: 18 July 2024

Dear Members,

Please follow the link below to read a joint statement containing BOC’s pay offer.

2024-ipa-pay-talks-joint-statement-17-june-2024.pdf 

You have been sent a link to an electronic pay ballot. Please read the joint statement and vote in the pay ballot.

Posted on: 10 July 2024

Dear Members

We have today held our preliminary pay talks with the company, in which we presented your claim based on 10% increase across the board.

Disappointingly, the company have presented an offer which was way below even our expectations. We have told the company this would be an insult if this was put formally and have asked them to reconsider their points.

They have agreed to reconvene talks in September with a revised offer that we hope can be shared with yourselves and shows the seriousness of what you believe you are worth as an Air Products employee.

Yours on behalf of your NNC.

GILLIAN OGILVIE

GMB NATIONAL LEAD ORGANISER

Posted on: 5 July 2024

Dear members

We wanted to update you following the collective grievance meeting held on Friday 21^st June. We met with the company to go through your concerns surrounding the safety of the sleeper cabs and your ongoing welfare.

We presented the arguments that the cabs were not fit for purpose and showed them directly the constraints members face when having to use the vehicles, along with the associated health concerns and potential injuries. We made the company aware that no risk assessment has been conducted on the vehicles or any consultation with the union to sign off these modified cabs. We questioned whether Volvo would uphold the warranty of the cabs as they were designed as Day cabs and not for sleepers.

Due to the seriousness of drivers facing sleep deprivation as a direct result of staying in these cabs we stated that VOSA and the HSE should also be made aware. We felt the company listened to our arguments and understood the seriousness, we then requested for the company to uphold the ‘status quo’ of providing hotel accommodation to be put back into place until the outcome of the grievance, we felt that this was a reasonable request and suitable alternative.

It was disappointing that the company have decided to ignore our request and have refused to put alternative arrangements in place whilst the grievance is ongoing.

We are advising members to record in the accident books every head bump, ache & pain, sleepless night etc from staying in these cabs, so that there is an accurate record in case you have to make legal claims in the future. Also, the hierarchy of the company will start taking a notice if the accident and near miss stats start to increase. Our legal team are looking into what rights you have in relation to being put in direct and imminent danger, and we will come back to you with further advice on what you can and cannot do. We will be issuing you all surveys to complete regarding the impact on your bodies using these cabs and we will also be recording a database of any MSD (Muscular Skeletal Disorder) impact so if there is long term injury then it is recorded for you to seek compensation in the future. Please keep an eye on your emails and inform your colleagues of this, they will need to be in the GMB for the records to be taken.

The next steps will be awaiting the outcome of the grievance and it is at this point we will be come back to yourselves to inform you of the outcome and if it is needed a further escalation. All members will be fully consulted over the outcome so please make sure that your email addresses and phone numbers are up to date, if you are aware of someone not in the union and they are using these cabs, please share this email and urge them to join the union in getting everyone’s safety protected.

Yours

On behalf of the National Committee

Gill Ogilvie

National Lead Organiser

GMB Private Sector Section

Posted on: 14 September 2023

Dear GMB Union member,

Members will be aware that within BOC there are numerous 'bargaining units' where trade unions negotiate with the employer in those respective areas, and pay awards and terms and conditions do differ between the various groups.

Where individual groups of workers enter into 'trade disputes' with the employer, members in other groups may be unsure of where you stand. In the coming weeks, there may be industrial action taking place within BOC that your own collective group may not be directly involved with, so we would like to share answers to the below FAQ's to all members. We hope you find this useful.

1. How do I know if my bargaining group/occupation/site is being called on industrial action?

You would have been balloted on strike action via an independent scrutineer by post. Following legal ballot results, only certain officials within GMB can then call on you to take action in furtherance of the trade dispute. If you are still unsure if you are involved, you should speak with your rep or local/regional GMB official.

2. Can I take industrial action anyway if my group is not involved?

Under the laws of the land, no, as you have not been balloted (as the dispute does not technically affect you directly) and so you are not in scope of the dispute, so we could not lawfully call you to take any action.

3. What if there is a picket line?

The official 'Code of Practice on Picketing' states "Everyone has the right to decide for themselves whether they will cross a picket line". If you decide not to cross a picket line – either when going in or going out of the workplace – you should contact your line manager to let them know, for example you felt intimidated or at risk to do so, or you could not guarantee safety.

4. What if my site/workplace is closed due to the industrial action?

If you are not in the group taking industrial action, you would still need to be paid in full, as you are available for work, but the employer can't provide any work to you, due to the impact of the action taking place.

5. What if the employer asks me to cover work for a group taking industrial action?

If you are not in a group taking industrial action, you should just 'work normally' as we would never wish to undermine other union members taking action. You should work in accordance with your normal duties and responsibilities and your contract of employment. You should not take on any additional responsibilities that are (a) not things you would normally do, and (b) have arisen due to the other group's industrial action. This includes not taking on overtime to cover for duties and responsibilities that are not normally yours. Please speak to your rep or local/regional GMB official if you are unsure.

6. How can I show my support to groups taking industrial action?

Your GMB officials will often write to the group(s) involved to express our support and solidarity with them in their dispute(s) and call on the employer to settle. GMB members may choose to donate to any hardship funds in place to support those taking action in other areas. You may wish to tell your fellow workers that you are behind them. You may wish to attend any rallies or protests outside of work time and in a personal capacity to show your support.

If you have any other queries, please speak with your local rep or GMB official.

In solidarity,

Your National GMB BOC Team

Posted on: 22 December 2020

“Existing measures (e.g. social distancing, ventilation, hand hygiene and mask usage) remain important, but given the increase in risk associated with the new variant, strengthening the measures taken may be needed”

This means that:

• Risk assessments need to be reviewed and revised – the risk has increased (as virus is more infectious), so the full set of measures now need to be implemented to the fullest.
• The risk assessment will look similar – risk ratings should be higher numbers; colours switch from yellow/orange to red; list of measures should be longer and more detailed.

Many essential workplaces will have these in place but to remind everyone, in particular those measures in bold which are likely to be more relevant to factories.

Measures 1

• Every worker who can work from home must do so
• All Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (Shielding) workers must remain at home

• Standards of ventilation should be the highest achievable as per HSE/CIBSE/REHVA requirements
• Social distancing must be rigorously adhered to in all areas including communal areas, common parts and canteens.

Measures 2

• Welfare facilities must be provided to ensure that hand washing can be maintained.

• Hygiene standards must be the highest achievable in terms of cleanliness and frequency of cleaning
• Teams should be organised into the smallest units possible to minimise cross-exposure. Workers should remain in these teams with no intermingling as far as possible.
• Working patterns should be organised to minimise numbers in the workplace to fewest needed at any given time.

Measure 3

• All requirements for PPE and face coverings must be met in full, with access to supplies as needed.

• Every worker who is in a group identified at being at higher risk from Covid-19 (older workers; pregnant workers; BAME workers; disabled workers; workers with underlying health conditions) should be individually assessed and suitable additional measures implemented.
• All workers who are required to self-isolate must be able to do so without fear of any detriment – loss of pay; loss of holiday; disciplinary action.

PUTTING IT INTO ACTION

• Workplace Inspections, floor walks etc., daily if possible

• Daily H&S Meetings on performance and local infection rates
• Full Consultation on all Covid matters
• Facility Time/Time Off with Pay for these activities.
• Effective communication will be key to managing this period of high risk, and consultation structures will help to aid this.

Eamon O'Hearn

GMB National Officer

Posted on: 6 October 2022

Dear Members,

Thank you to all members for voting on the recent pay offer below:

FULL AND FINAL OFFER

• Year-1 – 9% on basic & flow-through to allowances;
• Year-2 – minimum of 3% up to 6%, on basic & flow-through to allowances, with final award linked to RPI average (July 22 to June 23);
  • If, RPI average or Inflation* is higher than 6% then Air Products, NNC & GMB will commit to review and discuss any changes required to maintain driver pay in upper quartile.
• 2-year Night-time derogation.
• Bank suspended for 2-years
• Driver bonus amendment;
  • Compliance = 0 (zero) to 0.05;
  • Efficiency = 82 to 92 (Avg ‘Apr-Jun’ = 97);
  • Safety = 100 unchanged

*Inflation is ‘CPI & CPIH’ mid-point for June 2023 using ONS data available on or around 19th July 2023.

The offer has been accepted by members in the ballot and will be implemented in due course by the Company.

Once again thank you for voting in support of the offer as recommended.

Yours in union,

Eamon O'Hearn

GMB National Officer

Posted on: 25 July 2022

Dear Member,

In 2021 members accepted the following 2-year offer:

1. Year 1 - 1.6% on base salary and allowances;

2. Year 2 - 2.4% or if RPI average July 21 to June 22 is higher, then RPI will be honoured (minus 0.1% differential for no NTD) on base salary and allowances;

3. Job share arrangements – ‘Job-Share’ policy to go live by 1 January 2022;

4. Replacement of the Banked Hours System to be implemented 1 October 2021;

5. In the new working arrangements, overtime will be paid daily after 9.4 hours plus break

6. Alignment to handbook terms for annual leave effective from 1 Jan 2022, with entry level from 26 days moving to 30 days after 5 years’ service.

To confirm that following the release of the June RPI figures the average for the previous 12 months has come to 7.8%, minus NTD of 0.1%, meaning drivers will receive an increase of 7.7% on base salary and allowances, in addition to securing daily overtime last year and enhanced leave.

We hope this goes some way to helping members and your families with the current cost of living squeeze.

Eamon O'Hearn

GMB National Officer

Posted on: 29 December 2020

Dear GMB Member,

Firstly wishing you all a merry Christmas and happy new year.

Thank you to members who voted in the recent ballots, it’s vital that you have your say.

Please see below the results of the ballots for Bay Operators and Packaged Gas Drivers:

• Bay Operators
• Packaged Gas Drivers

We will be convening NNC meetings in the new year to discuss the results and will be in touch with members following that.

Once again thank you and stay safe.

Eamon O’Hearn

GMB National Officer