CATHERINE SWEENEY
Assistant Director of Administration (HR)
Newry and Mourne District Council
EMPLOYEE RELATIONS AND
PAY & REWARD
Industrial Relations Framework
Employee Relations
 Work
to date
 Issues
to consider
Work to date

Framework has been consulted upon in
2013 – widely supported

Endorsed by LGRJF

NIJC Review has been undertaken

Draft Constitution for ER Framework has
been drawn up for consultation
Employee Relations and Pay &
Reward Working Group
Chair
David McCammick and Roger Wilson
HR Leads
Karen Hargan and Catherine Sweeney
LGSC
Dermot O’Hara
Council
Sharon Currans
Membership John Adams
Gillian Arthur
Helen Devlin
Marissa Canavan
Mark McAneny
Rosemary McCullough
Tommy Wright
TU
Bumper Graham, NIPSA
Membership Davy Edmont - UNITE
Issues in establishing ER framework

Authority to devise a new Employee Relations Framework

Model Framework proposed - Employers’ and Trade Union
side membership of the Board and Working Committee

Constitution, work plan and successor arrangements for
NIJC and LGRJF

Employers’ side resourcing

Consultation arrangements

Timeframe for implementation
Authority to produce Framework
Local Government Staff Commission NI
Section 40 (4) (f) of the Local Government Act (NI) 1972, as
amended, to:
(f) Promoting or assisting the establishment of, or establishing,
procedures for the negotiation between councils.... and officers
of councils ..... or associations representing any of them, of
standard rates of renumeration, or other terms and conditions
of employment, for officers of councils ... and recommending
the adoption by councils ... of rates, terms and conditions so
negotiated.'
Authority to produce Framework
Local Government Reform Joint Forum
3.6 of Terms of Reference
'Developing terms of Reference and making
recommendations for consultation and negotiating,
machinery for local government post April 2015.
All decisions of the Joint Forum will be promulgated
under the authority of the LGSC under Section
49(4)(f) of the Local Government Act (NI) 1972
Aims of New ER Framework

A negotiating and consultation framework reflective
of the new 11 Councils

An agreed Employee Relations Framework that
delivers results, enables change sectorally and locally
provides consistency

A time bound, priority based work plan agreed to
meet the HR needs of Councils

Provides for consultation between all levels in the
Framework
Advantages of Model

Separation of Strategic (Board) and
Operational (Working Committee)

Direct nomination by Employers / TU on
to Board and Working Committee

Driven by Sector needs and can be
supported by a work plan
ER Framework
Membership of the Board and WG

Best practice suggests 14 max for Board or
Working Group (Employer Side -7+ TU Side -7)

Challenge for TUs to agree the membership

NIJC – Unite/ATGWU – 5; Unite/Amicus – 1; GMB - 5 ;
NIPSA – 5; SIPTU - 1


LGRJF – NIPSA - 4; UNITE – 2; GMB - 1
Challenge for Employers’ Side to reflect views of
11x Elected Members, Chief Executives and HR
Leads
Employers Side - Suggestion?



Consultative and Advisory groups consisting of
representatives of 11 Councils from which nominations
are made to participate in the Board / Working Group
Board nominations - issues to consider

Elected Member nominations directly or from another source?

Position of Responsibility in new councils ?

Tenure?
Board Working Group – issues to consider

Rotation arrangements?

Fixed term in position?

Sharing responsibilities across councils?
Employer Side nominations
ER Board / Working Group
EM
CHIEF
EXECS
HR
Resourcing Framework
◦ Options to be considered for
 Employer Side Officer - funding, location, support,
performance management
◦ Secretariat
◦ NJC / NIJC
Way forward
By end
of
January
2015
(Reconstituted) Meeting of Working Group - facilitated by LRA - to
agree Draft Constitutions for Board, and Working Group; and
Disputes Procedure
February - Consultation on Constitutions, (ie roles, powers, what can be
/ March
negotiated regionally, locally, etc); resourcing issues
2015
January /
March
2015
Management Side HR Leads / Chief Execs to develop priority areas
for work plan proposals for 2015/2016 to be consulted upon; and
model for resourcing the ER Framework
Mid
March
2015
Nominations to sit on Board and Working Group
Start of
April
2015
1st meeting of the Board
Pay and Reward

An item on the Work Plan for the new ER Framework aimed
at providing
◦ Consistencies in how we approach R&S, L&D, Performance
◦ Service delivery efficiencies – Payroll / HR

Components
◦ Common T&C
◦ Common job families / Standardised JDs / Catalogue of jobs
◦ Job Evaluation redefined
◦ Generic approach to pay / simplified pay / flexible pay packages