The result of the second 2019 Northern Ireland pay ballot is as follows:

For: 78%
Against: 22%
Spoilt: 0%

We have communicated the result to the company.

Thank you to everyone who voted and the local workplace reps for the hard work they put in running the ballot.

Following the rejection of AXA’s pay offer for staff in Northern Ireland in the recent pay ballot we re-engaged with management to try and come up with a proposition that our members would find acceptable.

Feedback from you overwhelmingly focused on the inequities in terms and conditions, especially those in the Derry Service Centre and the rest of Northern Ireland. Whilst the company had indicated a willingness to engage on this later in the year, it was clear to us that you wanted to see some progress now.

After further negotiations with AXA yesterday, we are pleased to advise that they have agreed to the following as part of their 2019 pay offer:

1. Under the company sick pay scheme, absence will now be paid at full pay once length of service requirements have been completed. This means that the first three days will no longer be unpaid nor days four and five only paid at the statutory sick pay rate.
2. Terms and conditions review negotiations for Northern Ireland will commence in October of this year.

Unite in AXA are pleased with the improvements that have been offered as this will have an immediate benefit for a large number of members and feel that, combined with the increased pay spend in Northern Ireland of 3%, this revised offer is one we can recommend to members to accept as the best that can be achieved through negotiation.

Unite will ballot members across Northern Ireland the week commencing 3^rdJune 2019.

The result of the 2019 Northern Ireland pay ballot is as follows:

For: 37%
Against: 63%
Spoilt: 0%

We have communicated the result to the company and are now looking to re-engage with them.

Thank you to everyone who voted and the local workplace reps for the hard work they put in running the ballot.

Based on a 95% return of ballot papers issued, the result of the 2018 pay ballot in Northern Ireland is as follows:

For: 56%
Against: 44%
Spoilt: 0%

We have communicated this to the company…

Thank you to everyone who voted and the local workplace reps for the hard work they put in running the ballot.

Today Unite in AXA commences balloting its members in Northern Ireland in respect of the company proposals on pay and reward for staff in Belfast, Derry and the Northern Ireland branches, negotiated after a series of meetings this year.

As members in Northern Ireland appreciate there were many concerns about pay and reward especially market competitiveness that needed addressing. We have discussed these at length with the company and the end result is a proposal we believe addresses almost all of these issues resulting in substantial pay rises for the vast majority of staff.

Unfortunately a small number of benefits and current practices have had to be changed due to regulatory requirements or employment law, however we feel AXA has been reasonable in the alternatives proposed to address these necessary changes.

Overall the company proposal addresses almost all of the concerns that members have raised with us over the last few years and will see the vast majority of staff receiving substantial improvements in their current levels of pay and reward. 

Additionally the introduction of a new grading system (part of a global process driven by AXA Head Office Paris and being rolled out across the group) will now enable staff in Derry to enjoy the benefits of career development previously unavailable to them.

The ballot commences today and will run until noon on Tuesday 29th May.

If you have any questions please speak to your local Unite in AXA rep.

Unite members in AXA Belfast and the Direct Branch Network have voted to accept the company offer of a 3% pay pot and a new starters salary of £12,400, rising to £13,400 after probation.

For: 82.98%

Against: 6.39%

The balance of papers were not returned.

These figures are similar to the voting on the AXA UK pay offer were members voted 88.05% in favour of their offer and hopefully demonstrate that the vast majority of Unite in AXA members were pleased with the efforts of the union negotiating team.

Mick Gallagher has volunteered to become a union rep in Derry to help make AXA a better place to work in and assist members with any workplace issues.

Thanks to Mick for volunteering. We still have a vacancy for one more rep in Derry if is anyone is interested in working with Mick.

Following negotiations in Belfast last week, Unite in AXA has recommended members in Northern Ireland accept the management offer of a 3% pay pot that should see 75% of staff who are currently lower in the salary bands receive an average of 3.75%.

In addition to pay, another of other matters were discussed and these included the clarification of scheduled and non-scheduled bank holidays for branch staff, that any branch employee working on a scheduled bank holiday can choose between time off in lieu or overtime as opposed to it being management discretion, a review of the Northern Ireland staff handbook in comparison with the UK and ROI handbooks and the introduction of an annual payment of £60 to fire wardens in line with the rest of the UK.

Pay talks for AXA Ireland staff in Belfast and the branches in Northern Ireland are due to commence on Wednesday 13th April. If you are a member in the bargaining unit please provide the two Belfast reps with your views on what you would like to see regarding this year’s pay award.

Further, management have now agreed that, following union representations on the matter, to close the Northern Ireland branches on the public holiday for the Royal Wedding, not open them as they originally planned.

After consultation with Unite in AXA, AXA Ireland have agreed that the existing UK recognition agreement be extended to cover the Derry Service Centre in Northern Ireland.

Union reps from Belfast and Dublin will be on site from 31st March, holding a series of organising meetings with staff to explain the benefits of union membership and recruit new workplace reps for the site.