Delegates casting their votes at Accord Conference 2024

Your issues debated

From the future of AI to fair pay and grading - get the lowdown on our conference debates.

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Artificial Intelligence – guaranteeing better for everyone

The impact of Artificial Intelligence on the banking sector was a major topic of debate and discussion at conference, with reps speaking up for members’ security of employment in the face of technological change.

A motion on AI was proposed by Noel Helliwell from the Group Chief Operating Office in Bristol Harbourside. As a machine learning engineer, Noel is an expert in these technologies, and he described the potential for AI to improve both colleague and customer outcomes "when used thoughtfully and carefully”.

“I think these are questions we need to start thinking about,” Noel concluded. “So that better really can mean better for everybody and not just better for some.”

Seconding the motion, Rob Graham from Sheffield argued that, along with many other industries, the banking sector is at a crossroads.

“If we go down one route, you leverage AI to essentially replace certain roles and then we end up getting rid of countless staff. Or, as this motion advocates for, the other route we go down is we leverage AI to allow many of our staff to do other things. And I think that’s a really exciting opportunity.”

Both speakers made clear that Accord members are not standing in the way of progress. We recognise the value of new technology and the opportunities it creates. But, learning from past experience, our reps want AI to be introduced in a way that’s fair, transparent and inclusive. And where there are productivity or profit gains, those should be shared with everyone.

The motion was carried by conference. Sharon Doherty, Chief People and Places Officer at LBG, was on the platform at the time and listened to the debate. The following day, members from TSB also asked TSB Chief Executive Robin Bulloch about the impact of AI on the bank’s operations.

Security of employment: Motion 1
Impact of Artificial Intelligence on jobs

This Conference asks Accord to work with Lloyds Banking Group to better understand the impact of Artificial Intelligence on roles within the organisation, identifying those skillsets and professions most likely to be impacted and commit to appropriate reskilling and redeployment.

Fair pay and grading

In the opening session of conference, delegates raised a series of important issues around pay, reward and grading at both Lloyds Banking Group and TSB.

The first three motions of the day focused on paying colleagues fairly for the level of responsibility they’re being asked to take on. Motion One, put forward by a group of nine branches, called on LBG to review pay for staff in grades A and B who take on additional responsibilities in the absence of managers.

It was followed by a motion calling for a review of responsibilities between Grade C and D managers, to ensure there’s sufficient variance to warrant differences in pay, and a third calling on LBG to expedite and complete pay group reviews, particularly for those whose jobs have been transformed, increasing their workload or making it more complex.

Across these three motions, speakers highlighted that too many colleagues are being underpaid for the level of responsibility they’re asked to take on in their daily roles.

Although inflation has slowed in recent months, several motions also reflected continuing concern about the cost of living, calling on LBG and TSB to offer pay deals that reflect the impact of the high inflation on ongoing living costs.

Further motions dealt with other reward questions, including recognition for long-serving staff, disparities in salary between internal and external candidates, payment of GPS to colleagues who receive Universal Credit, and pay for the preparation time required to be ‘customer ready’.

I am a branch manager and A-Grade colleagues are running my branch, making sure everything is going smoothly. They’re doing risk, they’re running the business and they need fair pay to reward them for the job they do

Emma Giblin, Halifax Rhyl

It’s simple. Pay me for the job I do. And if I’m doing a management role, pay me for it.

Matt Keenan, LBG Belfast

Business change impacting colleagues and customers

Throughout the discussions at conference, delegates spoke up for the interests of bank customers as well as Accord members.

Vicki Hunt from the Halifax in Crewe proposed a motion expressing concern about the impact of business decisions on customers.

She said: “we now have limited footfall in branches these days, which is as a result of hardworking customer-facing staff helping to deliver LBG’s goal of becoming the UK’s number one digital bank.”

But she explained that, as a result, branch colleagues are mostly dealing with elderly and vulnerable customers, who “don’t get the support, the product or the services they need when they need it.”

Seconding the motion, Charlie Gillett echoed Vicki’s concerns, from a telephony perspective, identifying “very serious” issues in the provision of mortgage advisory services, where lack of access could impact on the security of people’s homes. He described phone conversations with elderly customers who struggle to hear and understand what’s going on but don’t have a branch they can visit.

Other delegates described similar experiences, which could result in vulnerable customers being potentially financially excluded.

“We need to take care of our customers first, processes second,” said Colin Burton from Pitreavie.

A later motion also identified the impact these business changes can have on frontline staff, who bear the brunt of customers’ anger and upset, as demonstrated by rising levels of violence and abuse.

These issues were acknowledged by both Sharon Doherty from LBG and Robin Bulloch from TSB, and Accord will continue to work with the employers to find resolutions.

Security of employment: Motion 8
Helping Britain Prosper

This conference is concerned that despite the Lloyds Banking Group purpose being Helping Britain Prosper and colleagues wanting to deliver right outcomes for customers, we are being asked to put processes over people by not offering customers the opportunity to bank with us in their preferred way.

Looking after our health and wellbeing

Ahead of this year’s conference, many branches put forward motions related to the health and wellbeing of their members.

It’s clear that these issues are at the front of people's minds. Like everyone else across the country, Accord members and their families are feeling the effects of NHS cuts. Long waiting lists, understaffing and slow treatment times are a major source of anxiety for many of us.

At the same time, many are dealing with more serious health worries than before. The Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis have caused lasting health issues, both physical and mental. As our industry transforms rapidly, many colleagues are struggling with workplace stress. There’s growing awareness of the need for neurodiversity support. And the younger generations are particularly vulnerable to mental illness and suicide, compounded by social media and the challenges of recent years.

Standing up for the health of wellbeing of members is one of the fundamental functions of the union. It’s essential to achieving dignity at work. That’s why we have a team of dedicated health and safety reps, looking out for you day in and day out.

Our commitment to wellbeing was clear at conference too, where delegates proposed motions on supporting disability-related absence, preferential rates for gym membership, wellbeing days, access to vaccinations, support for colleagues or loved ones with terminal illnesses, and recognition of neurodiversity in company policies and practices. There were also a series of motions on access to private healthcare through BUPA.

These were moving debates, with many reps sharing personal stories about these issues or relaying stories shared by members in their branches. Accord will continue its efforts to ensure that members’ health and wellbeing is supported, both in and out of work.

Martin Greatbatch, LBG Leeds

Martin on neurodiversity assessments

With growing NHS waiting lists and times to wait for treatment in key areas such as mental health, neurodiversity assessment and other essential healthcare, I’d like to be able to offer our children access to private medical cover while they still live with us, helping them through their careers and the start of their adult lives.

Martin Greatbatch, LBG Leeds
Chris Lambert, LBG Sheffield

Chris on wellbeing days

People in modern times don’t always get enough time for themselves, with work and family commitments, so [wellbeing days] could be something they could take to help support that.

Chris Lambert, LBG Sheffield
Michelle White, TSB Sunderland

Michelle on carers support

As a carer, I know how important it is to have support from the business, because it’s really difficult trying to look after somebody and hold a job down. In TSB, we have carers’ support. You get 70 hours paid leave if you work full-time. Come on Lloyds get something introduced and support your workforce.

Michelle White, TSB Sunderland

What happens next

Debating motions isn’t where things stop. The challenging work begins now as we take forward the ideas, initiatives and concerns that you raised with us.

As part of our commitment to our members and reps to be a transparent and democratic union, we’ve published a full list of the motions on our website. We’ll be updating these throughout the next two years as we seek to make progress against each and every one of them.

This year, the Principal Executive Council (PEC) also proposed a motion, urging LBG to establish a formal forum to address the outputs from the conference. The aim of this proposal is to strengthen our conference as a decision-making body by ensuring that motions passed are directed to the appropriate management teams within LBG for response and action.

Accord’s Assistant General Secretary Paula Tegg said:

For me, it’s a motion that underscores the need for some tangible action to ensure that our members’ concerns, voiced through motions that you’ve all passed at conference are actively pursued and addressed by Lloyds Banking Group and TSB.