Union Mail – May 2015: Pension Fund Election

Nationwide Pension Fund Election

Members of the Nationwide Pension Fund will be aware that there is an election for two Member Nominated Trustee Directors due to the current term of both Rob Goldspink and Mark Willis coming to an end.

These are important and challenging roles, as Trustee Directors are accountable for representing the interests of the members of the Pension Fund and for the safety and security of their current and future retirement income.

It is vitally important that Fund members take an active interest in the running of the fund and demonstrate this by voting in the election. All Directors have the duty of ensuring the Fund is run in accordance with the Trust Deed & Rules and treat all categories of members fairly. Trustees are not representatives of a particular group of staff, Management or of the Union and they must maintain the highest standards of integrity.

Following discussions between the Fund’s Board of Directors, Nationwide and ourselves, the way in which the four Member Nominated Trustee Directors are elected has been changed. For the first time deferred members of the Fund are able to participate and there is now one grouping of all members from which the Trustee Directors are elected.

The first ballot under these new arrangements is now taking place and ballot papers are expected to start arriving with Pension Fund Members around 12th/13th May 2015. Please keep an eye out for these papers and please vote.

Union members frequently ask for advice as to how they should use their vote. It is for this reason that we have made recommendations to our members in the past. The Union believes that Fund members’ interests will be best served by re-electing Rob Goldspink as one of the two Trustee Directors.

Rob has been a highly effective director for the past six years and will be known to many of you from his time at Nationwide. Rob has also served the members of the Union for many years, both on the Swindon Regional Council, the National Executive Committee and as President.

At this election, we recommend that members vote for ROB GOLDSPINK as a Member Nominated Trustee Director.

Tim Poil
General Secretary

Transactions on Personal Accounts

We would like to remind members that employees are not permitted to conduct financial transactions on their personal Nationwide accounts or those of their partners or relatives. Any such transactions are in breach of the Internal Fraud Policy and will be subject to disciplinary action.

Unfortunately, the Union has recently had to represent some members in this situation and so our message to members is clear – do not conduct financial transactions on your own account under any circumstances.

The Internal_Fraud_Policy provides clarity about the types of transactions and activities that employees can conduct on their personal Nationwide accounts (and those of their partners/relatives) using Society systems.

Employees are allowed to view account balances, print mini-statements and update passbooks with previous transactions if they are a named account holder but must not conduct any financial transactions.

If you have any doubts about the types of transactions you can do please ask your manager for clarification before conducting the transaction. If you need help or advice in respect of a disciplinary issue please call us on 01295 710767 and ask to talk to an Individual Cases Officer.

Tim Poil
General Secretary

NGSU News in Brief

Annual Performance Reviews

Our Individual Cases Officers (ICOs) are available to talk to members who are concerned about their annual performance rating and who are considering raising an appeal. Members can call us for an informal chat about the appeals process and can have full representation at an appeal meeting if they choose to go ahead. Please call us on 01295 710767.

Pay Review 2015

Discussions about the annual pay review, between NGSU and HR, will begin later this month and are scheduled to run throughout June 2015. Details of any settlement reached will be effective from 1 July 2015.

Joint Consultation and Negotiation Committee

There are a number of issues currently under discussion at the JCNC. These include: understanding the impact of recent case law on the approach to holiday pay, an ongoing review of the Location Allowances structure, and discussions about the Loyalty Awards.

Regional Councils

Regional Council meetings will be held during May and June to discuss issues raised by members and also issues which may be debated at our National Conference later in the year. Please talk to your local Rep about issues which are important to you so we can be sure that we are fully representing the views of the membership.

Up to 30% off Hotpoint Kitchen Appliances

We have a great new discount scheme to add to our range of member benefits – the Hotpoint Privilege Purchase Club. This is a members’ only scheme, offering exclusive pricing on over 850 different appliances, ranging from washing machines, fridges, cookers and dishwashers to Hotpoint’s Small Domestic Appliance range – juicers, kettles, toasters etc.

Prices Include …
• Nationwide Home Delivery (England, Scotland, Wales and N.Ireland) by our award winning Hotpoint logistics team.
• Free Removal / Free Disposal of the old appliance (any brand on a like for like basis).
• You can select your preferred delivery date.
• UK based customer service contact centre open 364 days of the year.
• All Hotpoint appliances come with a 10 Years Parts Guarantee*.
• Additional Options / Services.
• Gas connection on free standing cooking appliances (by our Gas Safe Engineers).
• Choice selection of timed deliveries.
• Connection services on all other freestanding appliances.

* When using a Hotpoint Engineer

Extra 10% Discount in May

Hotpoint are supporting NGSU members with an additional 10% off voucher to run from 1st May until 31st May 2015, which attracts a further 10% off the current displayed price.

For full details of the scheme are available here.

Dress To Impressed

As summer approaches, employees working in the administration centres might like to check out the Dress Standards Mini-Guides on the Intranet. If you’re not required to wear a corporate uniform, the general requirement is to wear smart casual clothes and to maintain a nice and tidy appearance. Employees who are deemed to have ‘dressed for the beach’ can be asked to go home and change and will be required to make up any lost time.

The Code_of_Conduct_Policy also sets out a wide range of expected standards of behaviour in relation to not only dress standards but personal relationships at work, drug and alcohol addiction and non work related criminal convictions. It is well worth reading the Policy occasionally as a reminder of the expected standards.

May Draw Winners

First Prize : £12,028

105961 : Emma Slinn of Birmingham Branch (High Street)

Second Prize : £5,000

124723 : Sam Noble of Telephone Channels (NAC)

Third Prize : £2,000

118809 : Adrian Ball of South West Area

Fourth Prizes : £500

080096 : Joe Dobroczynski of Customer Operations (NAC)
090261 : Zoe Griffin of Group Distribution (BAC)
122761 : Chris MacKinnon of Burgess Hill Branch

NGSU members can increase their number of chances in our monthly draw at any time during their Union membership.  You can have a maximum of 10 chances – each chance costs just £1.  Every month 75% of the draw pool is returned to members as prizes and 25% is retained to help meet the running costs of the Union.  The draw is restricted to NGSU members only.

To enter the draw or increase your chances please email us at ngsu@ngsu.org.uk, call us on 01295 710767 or download an application form here.

If you pay your Union subscriptions by salary deduction we can collect your draw subscriptions that way too.