The closure of Liverpool, Speke - how it could impact homeworkers!

The closure of Liverpool, Speke - How it could impact homeworkers!

Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs)

Your line manager could decide to put you on a performance improvement plan (back to your best) if your performance is deemed unsatisfactory or not in line with your peers at any time and this would result in your homeworking status being removed.

This means that you will need to work from a LBG site until the performance concerns are addressed and the plan is closed. Your new go to site will be Chester, as things currently stand, and the length of a plan can range from a few weeks to a few months. This means you will incur all the associated travels costs, excessive travel times (particularly via public transport) and disruption to your work life balance during this period because there will no longer be a Liverpool office and you will need to go to Chester for the duration of the plan.

This is why Unite is campaigning for a Liverpool office. We strongly believe that no worker should have to endure additional costs, unreasonable commute times and disruption to their personal and caring commitments just because LBG thinks it’s fair for workers to endure all this turmoil whilst also worrying about a performance plan and how it could impact their job security, which could potentially contribute to a further decline in performance. This is why you need to back our campaign to retain an office in Liverpool - sign the petition below.

Liverpool office petition link - https://tinyurl.com/3z9vfdf9 

Remote working

If you work in ‘customer care’ you will be allowed to work remotely 100% of the time, if you wish to. Unite acknowledges that this is widely welcomed by a substantial number of the workers currently aligned to the Liverpool office.

The worry is that this ‘way of working’ is not a permanent guarantee and it can, like most things in LBG, be subject to change at any time. It’s also important to point out that your contracts have not changed, you are still aligned to an office and you do not have a permanent home-working contract, which again means LBG can change its stance overnight.

If LBG was to change its stance on remote working and mandate office attendance for say 20%, 40% or even 60% of your working week in an office then the absence of a Liverpool office will cause you and fellow homeworkers a lot of issues.

The very issues that workers who use the Speke office currently are now facing, those being:-

• Increases in travel costs - some estimating £3,000+ a year if driving when factoring in fuel/bridge or tunnel tolls etc.

• Unreasonable travel time by both car and public transport with some facing travel times via public transport of 1 hour 40 mins one way.

• Disruption to family and caring responsibilities.

• Inability to get to Chester and left in limbo and not being sure if they’ll have job.

This is a situation all homeworkers could find themselves in should LBG change its remote working approach in the future, this is why it is vital that all homeworkers back the campaign for an alternative Liverpool office to support current office workers and to safeguard against finding themselves in the same predicament in the future.

This is why you need to back our campaign to retain an office in Liverpool - sign the petition below.

The closure of the only Liverpool office is a huge mistake.

Unite is a member led union and we are ready to fight against this decision, but we need all your support to get LBG to think again. Please sign the petition below, calling on LBG to open an alternative Liverpool office and please share this update with a homeworker so they are aware of the potential impacts.

Liverpool office petition link - https://tinyurl.com/3z9vfdf9 

GET INVOLVED!

Join Unite the union today - www.uniteinlbg.org/join

In solidarity

Your Unite in LBG team