GLL is a worker owned organisation and a charitable social enterprise established over 30 years ago with the support of Greenwich Council and trade unions.  

We have continued to meet with Unite (September and October 2023 and January 2024) regarding their specific claims and in the interest of longstanding and good relations. We continue to consult and meet with them about a range of local matters because we acknowledge their rights to represent individual employees in Greenwich libraries. This is despite Unite’s continual misinformation about our company and their preference to prioritise national and political agendas over the concerns of our people. 

We believe there is no basis for dispute for 2 of Unite’s original 4 claims and that our arrangements in this respect should satisfy all their concerns.  

In Greenwich, on average, 92% of total monthly hours are covered by permanent colleagues. We do not offer zero-hour contracts. Our people have choices about how they work and engage with us and offer a variety of working arrangements to suit people’s lifestyle and career goals. People can choose how they work at the point of recruitment and beyond that if their circumstances change. 

• Full-time or part-time permanent contract: For those seeking a regular commitment and guaranteed hours
• Flexible work is for those that value flexibility or require a secondary source of income to complement other commitments. Hourly rates are the same as permanent staff.

We are a Real Living Wage employer and as part of our planned pay award for 2024, we changed the provisions of our sick pay scheme. In Unite’s latest notification of strike action there are 3 claims rather than 4, with the sick pay benefits claim being removed.

In relation to the 2023 pay award, and Unite’s insistence on us adopting local government terms and conditions, we have been clear that these areas will not be subject to further discussion.  Over the past 30 years, we have developed terms and conditions of employment that work for our business and our employees.  This commitment to our staff is underlined by the fact we have been awarded Investors in People Gold status.

Although we have exhausted negotiations on Unite’s dispute, we will continue to engage with them on other matters. at a local level in Bromley and Greenwich.

In the event of industrial action, as with Unite’s previous strike, we will ensure that all libraries remain open and there will be no impact on our customers and service.