Agenda Item 6
JOINT STAFF CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE
Minutes of a meeting of the Joint Staff Consultative Committee held in Room 1,
Council Offices, Holt Road, Cromer on 21 November 2011
Members Present:
Mrs H Eales
Mr K E Johnson (Chair)
Mr P W High
Staff Side Present:
Mr A Mitchell
Mrs C Lowin-Green
Mr P Godwin
Officers in Attendance:
The Deputy Chief Executive, the Organisational
Development Manager and the Democratic Services
Officer.
1
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies were received from Mrs S Arnold and Mrs B A McGoun.
2
MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting of the Joint Staff Consultative Committee held on 20
October 2011 were approved as a correct record.
3
JSCC UPDATE
Pay and Grading
a) At a recent UNISON branch meeting there had been much unease from UNISON
members regarding the Pay and Grading review. UNISON had spent a lot of time
talking to staff about their concerns. The Chairman considered that it was an
ongoing process and staff should not have been caught unaware. UNISON
responded that the main concern for staff was regarding the dismissal and reengagement proposal.
b) The Deputy Chief Executive said that there would be briefings for all staff on the
Pay and Grading review to help them understand the process from now on. The
intention initially had been to provide information via individual team meetings
and although some service areas had opted for this, not all had taken up the
offer. She stressed that staff would not be automatically dismissed and that they
would be offered the opportunity to accept a new contract voluntarily.
c) The Chairman said that the preferred option would be to get collective
agreement. UNISON confirmed that they were willing to continue dialogue but
that unfortunately it did not look promising.
d) Confirmation was needed regarding the appeal process. Staff needed to be made
aware of dates so they could prepare. The Organisational Development Manager
confirmed that she would provide dates as soon as possible.
e) UNISON requested clarification on whether staff could copy representations to
Councillors. The Leader said that staff could always talk to Members about their
concerns. The Chairman added that a lot of the emails that Members were
receiving from staff on the Pay and Grading review were individual pleas about
the impact on their lifestyle and seemed to be in relation to the job evaluation
JSCC
21 November 2011
scores. The Deputy Chief Executive pointed out that any concerns over the
evaluation scores would be dealt with via the appeals process and that some of
the emails sent could constitute lobbying. She agreed to take advice on whether
correspondence relating to the new pay model was acceptable. The
Organisational Development Manager reminded everyone that all
correspondence relating to the Pay and Grading review would be made available
to staff and Members at the end of the consultation period. Names and details
would be redacted to ensure anonymity. It was agreed that UNISON would take
this back to the Branch Committee to discuss. They may then give further advice
that correspondence to Members relating to the new pay model and the process
was acceptable.
Discretionary Payments Scheme
A report on the Discretionary Payments Scheme was being presented to Cabinet
on 28 November. UNISON pointed out that previously such items had come to
JSCC before Cabinet so that they could make comments before decisions were
made. This was outlined in the Terms of Reference for the Committee. The
Deputy Chief Executive explained that this particular item was a matter for the
Council and that it did not have to come to JSCC but nevertheless that it was
appropriate to discuss it at the meeting. The Chairman agreed to take the item
as urgent business.
4
ITEMS OF URGENT BUSINESS
Discretionary Payments Scheme
a) UNISON had concerns regarding the recommendation to reduce the multiplier for
compulsory redundancies from 2.2 to 1.5 and felt that further information should
be provided for the reasons behind the reduction. They welcomed the increase in
the discretionary payments for voluntary redundancies. The Organisational
Development Manager said that the current policy was introduced in 2009 and
the Council was obliged to review it regularly. Other Councils were also reducing
their multipliers.
b) UNISON suggested that the Council should review the Discretionary Payments
for those made compulsorily redundant. The latter was the worst possible
situation for most people and this should be taken into account. The
Organisational Development Manager said that the Council were still intending to
use actual weekly pay rather than using weekly pay up to the statutory minimum
when calculating payments. UNISON welcomed this. The Chairman added that
there were other options within the report that would also be considered.
c) UNISON pointed out that the timing of these changes was unfortunate as they
coincided with the culmination of the Pay and Grading review and the
Management Re-structure and that staff would view it purely as a further cost
saving. The Organisational Development Manager responded that there would
never be a good time to introduce such changes.
d) It was acknowledged that staff working in the teams that were being considered
for shared services with other local authorities were going through a period of
particular uncertainty and these changes may give them further concern since
discretionary payments in other authorities may be better, thereby placing NNDC
staff at a disadvantage. It was agreed that they should be offered additional
support if necessary.
e) UNISON confirmed that they would make a formal written response to the
proposals before the Cabinet meeting on 28 November
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21 November 2011
Industrial Action
a) There was planned industrial action for 30 November 2011. UNISON explained
that it was a national event and any picketing would of course be peaceful.
b) The Organisational Development Manager confirmed that she had raised the
issue with UNISON about picketing. Some staff had concerns about accessing
the building. It was suggested that UNISON should picket at the main doors to
the Council offices but not at the bottom door as this was not a public entrance
and was on private property. UNISON confirmed that they were taking advice on
this matter from the Regional Office.
c) UNISON said they had picketed several times previously and there had never
been any intimidation. There would be official picketers at each entrance and they
would hand leaflets out explaining the reasons for the strike.
d) The Chairman asked how people’s concerns about crossing the picket line could
be addressed. UNISON reiterated that there would be no intimidation.
4
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
None
5
NORTH NORFOLK DISTRICT COUNCIL STRESS MANAGEMENT POLICY
a) The Organisational Development Manager explained that the Stress
Management Policy was intended to provide guidance to all service managers
and employees in relation to the Council’s statutory responsibility of management
of stress at work. It included a draft action plan and a risk assessment. The
intention was that it would be tested on the staff focus group.
b) UNISON welcomed the report. Clarification was sought regarding access to the
Employee Assistance Programme and whether Councillors were aware that they
could use it. The Organisational Development Manager said that Councillors had
been informed about the scheme via the Member’s Bulletin.
6
UPDATES
Other Matters
a) Proposed Savings Report – 2012/13 Base Budget: UNISON asked whether any
other service areas were being considered for a shared management
arrangement. The Deputy Chief Executive said that the report outlined the detail
and nothing else was anticipated at the present time. With regards to
Environmental Services, discussions were at a preliminary stage and it was
intended that it would be back office functions relating to waste services. The
Leader added that the intention was to protect frontline services and that there
were no redundancies planned on the scale of the previous year. It was hoped
that the 4 proposed redundancies would be achieved through retirement or
voluntary basis.
b) Housing Transfer Reserve: UNISON asked how long this reserve needed to be
kept as there was a considerable amount of money involved. The Deputy Chief
Executive explained that there were several warranties in place – some lasting for
30 years. There was £10m of insurance for environmental warranties alone and
the excess was in the reserve for these policies. This was particularly important
as the risk increased over time.
c) Long term savings: the Deputy Chief Executive said that it was unlikely that the
government would move away from the current level of grant settlement and
therefore the Council could only plan for the short-term.
JSCC
21 November 2011
d) UNISON asked whether the Council were committed to operating within the local
area rather than linking up with other local authorities as some district councils
had done. The Leader said that there was no intention to join with other councils
and that the Council would continue to be based in the District.
e) UNISON raised the matter of timing of JSCC meetings and the need to schedule
them to fit established consultation arrangements and Cabinet dates. It was
agreed that the Organisational Development Manager would discuss with
UNISON and bring forward a revised programme of meetings for consideration.
The meeting concluded at 3.40 pm.
_______________
Chairman
JSCC
21 November 2011