WSCC’s LGPS pension admin service will transfer from Capita to Hampshire County Council on 4 March 2019, with TUPE transfers for staff expected on that date.
We can’t yet confirm if there will be any redundancies as a result of this move, but we expect some as the service is being physically transferred to Winchester from Chichester. UNISON will be fully supporting members at this critical time to get the best outcome for them and make sure redundancy payments are made where applicable.
Members directly impacted by the TUPE should first approach the designated UNISON workplace reps for the service: Ian Harvey and/or Sandra Armstrong.
Capita has asked its employees (including UNISON members) to also elect a ‘staff rep’. This is not contained within the recognition agreement between the union and Capita and is poor HR practice in a number of respects. UNISON is the only recognised trade union for Capita staff. UNISON reps are fully trained and experienced in collective negotiations – randomly appointed ‘staff reps’ are neither trained nor experienced in these matters. This could have negative implications for staff during negotiations. The branch is taking advice on the matter from its national secretary for private companies.
For the thousands of LGPS pension members there should be no change in admin provision during the transfer phase, with improvements expected from March.
Seeking help with your pension
However, pension admin staff will be subject to much greater pressure from now until then because many are leaving the service largely because working from Winchester is simply not an option. This is especially the case for staff who don’t have two years’ service with Capita and have not accrued rights to a redundancy payment. This puts more pressure on those who remain with Capita which is then forced to hire more temporary agency staff to address the resource deficit.
Should members needing LGPS admin support experience any problems or delays, please use the escalation route UNISON put in place with Capita. Admin staff are being asked to concentrate on what management consider to be the most urgent priorities. This could mean that your query takes longer to answer and you need to use the escalation chart to draw attention to your issue. Come to the branch office for support if you cannot resolve your issue through the escalation chart.