UNISON Member Survey Result

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you to everyone who took part in the recent UNISON consultation survey on the rota review and FRV mitigation package.

Members’ feedback was clear about what you expect your union to focus on next. While views differ on some elements, there is strong agreement on the issues that must be resolved properly before changes are implemented.

What members want UNISON to prioritise

Based on your feedback, UNISON is focusing on:

• Protecting pay and unsocial hours
  Ensuring rota changes do not erode unsocial hours enhancements or leave members financially worse off.
• Securing fair, workable rotas
  Challenging unsafe shift patterns, excessive runs of shifts, poor turnarounds, and unnecessary disruption to work–life balance.
• Delivering agreed FRV mitigation
  Holding EMAS to the agreed package linked to FRV’s , including the trainee / associate Specialist Paramedic pathway, with fair and transparent access.
• Fixing pool and relief working
  Securing clearer arrangements, guaranteed rest and identified shifts in a rota type pattern, with relief that is properly managed and, wherever possible, when relief is within a rota shifts based at home stations.
• Challenging poor or inconsistent local implementation
  Intervening where agreements are not being followed or where changes are being imposed unfairly.
• Protecting flexible working agreements
  Defending the rights of members on flexible and adjusted working arrangements, ensuring existing agreements are respected, properly reviewed on a 1:1 basis, and not overridden or diluted through rota changes.

Pauses and implementation

Members were also clear that they want progress with certainty, not endless delay — but not at any cost.

To allow time to resolve outstanding issues properly, a pause may be required in some areas while negotiations continue. This is about getting things right, not dragging the process out.

Importantly, EMAS has committed that rotas will not be introduced at stations where there is an ongoing dispute, and that implementation will not proceed until agreement is reached.

What this means

UNISON will:

• Continue negotiations where issues remain unresolved
• Use pauses where necessary to protect members from detrimental change
• Press for timely resolution and clarity, not drift
• Hold the Trust to its commitment not to impose rotas where there is disagreement

This is about negotiation, enforcement, and protection — not delay for its own sake.

We will continue to update members as this work progresses.

In solidarity,
UNISON