Union Mail – December 2012

ViewPoint

The annual ViewPoint survey is now underway and we’d encourage all NGSU members to complete the survey. This is your chance to give feedback to Nationwide management and the Nationwide Board – so please take this opportunity to make your voice heard.

Some members have contacted us expressing concerns about the confidentiality of the survey or that they feel under pressure to answer the survey in a particular way, for example, to answer the questions thinking only about their manager rather than giving a wider view on the corporate situation. We believe that the way the survey has been constructed makes it clear about the level of management each question is referring to and members should answer the questions as directed by the question and not be swayed by other influences.

Some members have also said they’re worried about completing the survey honestly but we urge members to give honest answers – it is important from everyone’s perspective that the survey provides an accurate reflection of the views that exist within the Society.

If you are concerned about the way Viewpoint is being managed in your area of the business please contact us.

Tim Poil
General Secretary

NGSU Holiday and New Year Arrangements

Please note that membership subscriptions paid by Direct Debit will be collected on the 24th December 2012 rather than the normal collection date of the 26th of the month due to this falling on Boxing Day. Draw subscriptions will be collected on Monday 17th December.

The Union Office will close at 1pm on Christmas Eve and will open 27th December 2012. The Office will also close at 3pm on New Year’s Eve. The Legal Helpline will be operating throughout the Christmas and New Year period and can provide advice on employment and other legal issues. The helpline is free to NGSU members: 0800 9169 063 (legal help) or 0800 9169 064 (personal injury).

A timetable of Union NEC and Regional Council meetings will be published early in the New Year and will be available on our website. The first NEC meeting of the year will be held on 23 January 2013 and Council meetings will be in February and March.

We’d like to wish all our members a very Happy Christmas and New Year.

Cinema Ticket Discounts Scheme

Following positive feedback from members we’ve decided to renew our subscription to the discounted cinema ticket scheme for another 12 months.

The scheme allows members to buy up to five pairs of tickets every month at discounted prices. Vouchers can be ordered for most of the major cinema groups including Cineworld, Odeon, Empire, and Apollo. You can also order vouchers which can be used in independent cinemas throughout the UK.

The amount you save will depend on the cinema group and the time and day you choose to see the film but average savings are between 20%-30% but can be 50%-60% in some cinemas. The savings you make are a great way to cover some or all of the costs of your Union subscription. The vouchers are valid for at least six months and so make great gifts – order now for Christmas!

To take advantage of the scheme you must register using the link from the NGSU website:
https://www.ngsu.org.uk/benefits/discountcinematickets (or follow the link from the home page).

There’s a chance to win Cinema vouchers in December’s edition of Rapport magazine which will be sent to members’ home addresses over the next few days.

O2 Offers

NGSU members can take advantage of these special offers from O2:

Offer 1
Samsung S3 FREE handset, £36 a month, unlimited calls, texts, 1GB Internet.
Free accessory pack, £75 free credit to mobile account.

Offer 2
iPhone 4s £20 handset cost, £36 a month, unlimited calls, texts, 1GB Internet.
Free accessory pack, £75 free credit to mobile account.

Offer 3
Free mobile phone to the value of £30 with any 12 month simplicity plan.
£10.50 per month, 300 any network mins, 500 O2-O2 mins, unlimited texts, 100MB Data, £25 free credit.

Offer 4
Free £20 Gift Voucher to spend at either Debenhams, Amazon, M&S or Argos with selected pay & go handsets.

To find out more or to take advantage of these offers please call 0800 987 8047

Terms and Conditions apply, internet fair usage policy applies.

Come and Meet Us

Come and meet Steve Barnes, NGSU President, and other NGSU Reps and find out more about the work of the Union. We’ll also be joined by Benchmark Travel – so come along and get a great deal on your 2013 holiday. We’ll be in these locations:

14 January 2013 – Pegasus House, Swindon
15 January 2013 – Nationwide House, Swindon
16 January 2013 – Bournemouth Admin Centre
17 January 2013 – Northampton Admin Centre
05 February 2013 – Sheffield Contact Centre
06 February 2013 – Wakefield Contact Centre

December Draw Winners

First Prize: £10,688
110441: Martin Di Ruzza of Testing in Swindon

Second Prize: £5,000
110990: Kim Hawkins of Wimbledon

Third Prize: £2,000
124206: Angela Baxter of Customer Services

Fourth Prizes: £500
106746: Louise Harrington of Customer Experience
126438: Richard Johnman of Dunfermline
110138: Angela Field of St Albans