The company announced today changes to the AXA Insurance Claims structure and organisation. The main impact of the reorganisation falls outside the Unite bargaining unit, but there is some impact across a number of Claims sites that does affect a small number of members.

If you have been impacted by these changes or put at risk of redundancy please contact your local Unite in AXA report for support.

Whilst staff on the Claims Development Framework fall outside the annual pay review, Unite in AXA did include an element pertaining to them in the 2019 pay claim.

We were concerned that, for a variety of reasons, a number of staff on the Framework had not received any pay rise for a number of years, despite their performance being rated as Satisfactory or higher for performance management (which if they had been on the normal performance related pay matrix would have seen them receive pay rises). With this in mind we requested that any employee on the framework who had not received a pay rise in the previous three or more reviews, and had a performance management rating of Satisfactory or higher, receive a pay rise this year.

After reviewing the Development Framework population AXA Insurance Claims have agreed to do this and eighteen employees will now see their pay increased this month when they otherwise would not have.

AXA’s announcement today in respect of changes to its Commercial Lines Intermediary operation comes with the disappointing news that 106 jobs have been put at risk as part of the process. Unite has been involved in ongoing consultation with the company about the changes and is confident that many staff who have been put at risk will be able to be relocated into new roles and the number of redundancies will be much reduced. We do appreciate however that being put at risk is not nice and would encourage members to engage with their local reps on issues of concern. If you do not have a Unite rep in your branch, please look at the list of reps here see who to contact.

Unite in AXA have approached the company with a view to addressing the banked redundancy terms anomaly affecting ex-Prospero/AXA Direct staff. When AXA Insurance terms and conditions where harmonised in 2001 for staff from the various companies including Guardian, Provincial and Prospero, the banking of redundancy terms, a move taken to protect previously earned benefits, resulted in the small ex-Prospero/AXA Direct  population banking redundancy terms worse than those going forward.

We have opened discussions with AXA Insurance about removing this anomaly to ensure this small group of employees do not continue to be penalised for having an employment history different than the majority of their colleagues.

As many members working in Claims will know, the Development Framework designed to advance staff more quickly though their pay scale than the performance related pay system has more than a few problems and is not working as it should be.

We have been engaging the company on this topic for some time now and have agreed to commence a full scale review in the second quarter of this year. At present individual disciplines within Claims eg. liability, motor etc. are reviewing that skills they regard as necessary for an employee to be rated as competent and be able to handle the bulk of items that cross their desk.

Cleary this is not going to be a swift fix, but we are hopeful that we can help ensure the necessary changes are put in place to ensure the Development Framework system works as it should do (ie. to the benefit of the staff and company) and not as it has been.

Unite the Union met with representatives of AXA today and submitted a 3.5% pay claim on behalf of the bargaining unit.

Further negotiation meetings have been scheduled for this month.

This statement confirms the overall pay budget (how much AXA has available to spend on salaries) and framework (how AXA will spend that money) for 2018. These details are negotiated between AXA and Unite and apply to employees in all roles at Levels 6-9 in AXA Insurance and Corporate Centre.

Overall budget

This year’s talks have concluded with an offer of an increase in the total pay budget of 3% for employees in Levels 3-9. Any pay increases will take effect from 1 April 2018.

Levels 6-9 Pay Framework

Pay awards will be made to employees in these roles based on your performance rating and where your salary is positioned in the pay range.

Levels 3-5 Pay Approach

Senior managers will have full discretion to set pay awards within the overall budget for employees in Level 3-5 roles. Your performance and current salary against the pay ranges will be part of the decision making.

Other adjustments

AXA UK’s minimum salary will be increased to £15,925 but other pay ranges are unchanged, although AXA UK’s approach to pay ranges and pay families is currently under review.

There are some local pay arrangements, like the AXA Insurance Claims Development Framework, which are managed outside of this process.

There is more information on the pay review process on the My Reward pages on ONE.

Next steps

Unite will ballot its members on this offer, with the ballot taking place between 7 February and 20 February 2018.

Please speak to your line manager or Unite representative if you have any questions.

 

Click here to read the latest Unite in AXA newsletter on AXA’s 2017 pay offer.

Please leave your feedback below or talk to your local union rep.

Click here to read the latest Unite in AXA newsletter on our 2017 pay claim  Please leave your feedback below or talk to your local union rep.

Based on a 66% return of ballot papers issued, the result of the 2016 2nd pay ballot is as follows:

For: 88%
Against: 12%
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.