| Time: | 3.00pm | Place: | Committee Room 1, Council Offices, Gernon Road, Letchworth Garden City |
| PRESENT: | Councillor Mrs L.A. Needham (Chairman), Councillor Judi Billing, Councillor Tom Brindley, Mrs D Levett(Unison), Ms C Corr(Staff Consultation Forum), Councillor T.W. Hone(Substitute). |
| IN ATTENDANCE: | Strategic Director of Customer Services Corporate Human Resources Manager Human Resources Development Manager Employee Relations Officer Committee and Member Services Officer. |
| ALSO PRESENT: | Debbie Ealand (Unison) |
| Item | Description/Resolution | Status | Action | |
| PART I | ||||
| 22 |
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies for absence were received from the Chairman, Councillor P. W. Cowley (substitute Cllr T. Hone) and Cllr Marilyn Kirkland, from Chris Carter representing the Staff Consultation Forum and Jacqui Hamilton from UNISON (substitute is Debbie Ealand). Due to the absence of the Chairman, the Committee Clerk asked Members to nominate and vote for a Member to chair this meeting. Cllr Mrs Lynda Needham was duly elected and she then proceeded to chair the Joint Staff Consultative Committee Meeting. |
Noted | ||
| 23 |
MINUTES Minutes It was agreed that the Minutes of the JSCC meeting held on 21 September 2011 be confirmed as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chairman. |
Agreed | ||
| 24 |
NOTIFICATION OF OTHER BUSINESS No other items were presented for consideration by the Committee. |
Noted | ||
| 25 |
CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS The Chairman welcomed Members and officers to the meeting of the Joint Staff Consultative Committee. Members were reminded that declarations of interest in respect of any business set out in the agenda and the nature of the interest, should be declared as either a prejudicial or personal interest at the commencement of the relevant item on the agenda. Members declaring a prejudicial interest should leave the room and not seek to influence the decision during that particular item. |
Noted | ||
| 26 |
STAFF CONSULTATION FORUM SCF 5.10.11 SCF 2.11.11 SCF 7.12.11 The Corporate Human Resources Manager (CHRM) referred the JSCC to the Minutes of the meetings of the Staff Consultation Forum (SCF) held on 5 October, 2 November and the Draft Minutes of 7 December 2011, for details of the meetings, actions taken and the items carried forward. She provided a summary of the main points from each meeting as follows: 5 October The CHRM explained the arrangements for work on the multi-storey car park and the traffic light system. She also mentioned that the lifts in DCO are checked monthly despite several people having been stuck in the lifts. Under Green Issues, the CHRM confirmed that the recycling system had been embraced by NHDC staff and it was earning money for the Council. On the subject of the telephone system, the Committee was reminded that some Mystery Shopper work was to be carried out and a straw poll would be carried out over the next 3 to 4 weeks to help scope this. Shared Services was a standing item on the SCF Agenda and the Committee members were notified that SERCO had submitted the high level business case for Shared Management Service. The CHRM touched briefly on the recent industrial action carried out by some Unison members and also on the savings target of £500,000 for 2012/2013, informing the Committee that Budgets would also now be a standing item on the SCF Agenda. A full report had been received from the Investors in People assessor which will shortly be available to all NHDC staff. Thanks were passed to all who had been involved in the inspection. Lastly the Committee was informed that the Chairman of the Council had thanked all those involved in any way with the recent MacMillan World's Biggest Coffee Morning which had gone very well, and at which the sum of £362 had been raised through selling cakes, biscuits and tickets for a Charity Draw. The NHDC/UNISON annual children's Christmas party had seen lower than usual attendance but had gone down well. 2 November The Committee were informed that the Transport Project Officer had attended this SCF meeting to explain the creation of a Green Travel Plan and the Community Development Manager explained the proposed restructuring of Children's Services. SCF had been used as a consultation group for this. There was a potential saving of £14,000 in this area. The CHRM advised that the survey for office accommodation was now on the NHDC Intranet and it was in three parts, to cover all angles. The Strategic Director of Customer Services (SDCS) revealed the staff reactions and that they were coping well. He then confirmed that all suggestions to "Tell JC" would shortly be published. With reference to Shared Services, a Committee Member revealed that she had successfully worked with the Monitoring Officer of Broxbourne. In addition, the Committee were informed that SERCO had been awarded the Occupational Health contract with effect from January 2012. The Committee were reminded that a new retirement policy had been drafted following the removal of the default retirement age on 1 October 2011 and after SCF had commented on it, this would be reported to JSCC on 21 December 2011. Due to the adverse effect of smoke entering the building from the current smokers' area, it had been decided to ask staff who smoked to disperse to several different areas outside the building Finally, consideration was being given to having a list at the back door of DCO giving details of who was where in the building, giving work groups and functions to enable them to be found in case of an emergency. 7 December The Committee had invited the relevant officer to explain the current postal arrangements to the SCF. Also attending the SCF was an HR representative to discuss the proposed shared services with East Herts and Stevenage. The SCF then discussed the lack of storage facilities in the office for homeworkers under Homeworking/Office Accommodation and they were then advised that the picture was bleak regarding pay increases as a result of national economic circumstances. It was considered to be the hardest year for pay bargaining for 20 years. Under Localism Act, the Committee was advised that a Senior Pay Policy could be required, and during the item NHDC Updates, the Committee discussed the interim period between the Chief Executive leaving North Herts District Council and the appointment of an new Chief Executive. They were informed that the Employment Committee would receive a progress report from the Leader of the Council. It was pointed out that the statement "There will be a freeze on Council Tax" was an error in the Minutes. Referring to the question as to the use of a television in the staff canteen during the Olympics, the canteen was said to be able to hold 15 to 20 people. Lastly, it was revealed that a member of the SCF had proposed that one solution to encourage morale was by the use of "small things" to show NHDC's caring side, such as the provision of kettles and microwaves for the use of staff. It was thought this would boost staff morale. It was agreed: That the information provided in the three sets of Minutes of the Staff Consultation Forum be noted. |
Noted | ||
| 27 |
PEOPLE STRATEGY 2011/2015 - UPDATE People Strategy 2011-2015 Update The Corporate Human Resources Manager (CHRM) presented the Committee with an update on the People Strategy 2011-2015 Report, which also incorporated the NHDC Workforce Development Plan. The key achievements since September 2011 were covered, with emphasis on investigations into how to reduce HR costs by shared services with Herts County Council. Long term sick cases were discussed: five people were on the list, with two to be resolved shortly and another two to be added in the near future. An opportunity to discuss Member Development was offered to each of the Member Groups. The Democratic Services Manager and the HR Development Manager have since attended Labour and Conservative Group meetings. Appraisals were virtually at 100%, a very good result, although a considerable amount of time is spent on following up on forms in order to meet the deadline. As appraisals are a manager's responsibility, this would be considered as part of the appraisal quality review that is being done. Finally, it was revealed that short term absence was down to 1.62 days, which was lower than the previous year. It was agreed: That the Committee note the progress against the People Strategy and HR People Strategy Work Plan for 2011/2012. REASON FOR RECOMMENDATION: The People Strategy supports the achievement of the Authority's key priorities. |
Agreed | ||
| 28 |
RETIREMENT POLICY REPORT Retirement Policy Report The Employee Relations Officer introduced the Retirement Policy report which looked at retirement in general and reminded the Committee that there was now no default retirement age. It also recommended that the Flexible Working Policy be extended to those employees reaching 65 years of age. She explained that cost was not a justification to retire someone and when he or she chose to retire, an employee would give normal notice of leaving. Preparatory dialogue would be held at the employee's appraisal and ongoing discussions would follow. Flexible working options, advice on pension schemes and retirement courses were all offered to ensure the employee was well prepared for retirement. Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) members over the age of 65 can continue to pay into the scheme while their employment continues up to the eve of their 75th birthday and their pension benefits will be increased to reflect that they will be paid for a shorter time. Scheme members can alternatively request flexible retirement where they can draw their pension and carry on working at a lower grade and/or on reduced hours. Flexible retirement can however only occur with the Council's consent as it could have significant cost implications. She then covered the subject of Retirement Recognition for employees with over 10 years' service, including the value of a gift (tax exempt up to a certain value) and provision of a buffet for up to 20 people. The Committee discussion then covered the policy on insurance, and whether or not the unions were happy with the arrangement. It was confirmed that they are. RESOLVED: 1) That the Retirement Policy and the extension of flexible working to those aged 65 or over or within 6 months of their 65th birthday is endorsed by the Joint Staff Consultative Committee; 2) That the authority to administrate the Retirement Policy is delegated to Council officers. REASON FOR DECISION: Up-to-date and relevant Human Resources policies and procedures are a key component of the effective management of staff and communication of important information to all employees regarding terms and conditions and working practices. |
Agreed | ||
| 29 |
RETENTION AND EQUALITIES UPDATE Report The Employee Relations Officer presented the update on Retention and Equalities, covering the period from 1 April 2011 to 30 September 2011. This covered the NHDC restructure period, but still came out below the local government median (the average annual turnover number). 32 people had left during this period due to retirement, relocation, new jobs, redundancies resulting from the Council's 2011 Restructure, dismissals (3) or a transfer. It was noted that some staff were reluctant to give feedback information. The Committee held a short discussion on whether staff are more likely to leave when they reach the top of their pay scale and it was determined that although this had not been investigated in detail, it was thought that it was not likely to be the case. RESOLVED: That the Joint Staff Consultative Committee note the update on retention and progress with equalities in relation to North Herts District Council employees. REASON FOR RECOMMENDATIONS To maintain the awareness of the retention and equalities situation by the JSCC. |
Noted | ||
| 30 |
LOCAL GOVERNMENT PENSION SCHEME (LGPS) UPDATE Update The Corporate Human Resources Manager (CHRM)presented an update on the Local Government Pension Scheme. She explained that the pension story was moving on and that the Government had agreed that talks for the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) could continue from 2012. A valuation in 2013 was awaited and there had been a provisional agreement for no increase until 2014 (the pay freeze could last longer than this). The Unison Branch Administrator informed the Committee that out of the staff who had taken industrial action, some had had pay deducted and some had not. The Corporate Manager for HR advised that Managers had been given clear instructions on this topic and specific cases would be looked at. |
Noted | ||
| 31 |
NATIONAL PAY BARGAINING UPDATE Update The Corporate Human Resources Manager presented a brief update on Local Government National Pay Bargaining. She stated that there was currently a very bleak picture, as all local authorities had informed employees that they could not afford a pay increase in the current economic climate. She confirmed that the suggestion put forward by the Government that employers award £250 to those earning below £21,000 did not apply to local government employees. The Committee were advised that the situation would be constantly monitored and updated at each subsequent Joint Staff Consultative Committee meeting. |
Noted | ||
| 32 |
DISCUSSION PAPER - JOB EVALUATION DISCUSSION PAPER The Corporate Human Resources Manager (CHRM) introduced the paper on Job Evaluation and advised that many local authorities had not implemented the Single Status Agreement, harmonising pay and conditions for comparable posts. The Hay Group method of job evaluation had been adopted by North Herts District Council and job evaluators were trained to carry out a full pay review. The pool of job evaluators was periodically "topped up" and the panel carrying out a review consisted of a representative from Human Resources, the Staff Consultation Forum, Unison and a trained job evaluation officer. It was stressed that it was the job itself, not the person, who was under evaluation and that once the Single Status Agreement had been achieved, an equal pay review was carried out every two years as a check. A Committee Member enquired whether there were any independent job evaluators and the SDCS assured him that the organisation was too small for these. Other questions covered whether use was made of Shared Services this was being considered on a number of fronts and whether the JSCC could endorse the continued use of the Hay Group method of job evaluation in view of it's usefulness(this needs to be endorsed by full Council as part pf the planned Pay Policy report required under the Localism Act). The Committee was informed that costs are fairly modest and just need to be "topped up" every 2 to 3 years. The SDCS then advised that as part of the recent restructure the Hay Group was asked to come in and re-evaluate senior staff. It was agreed: That the discussion paper on Job Evaluation be noted. |
Agreed | ||
| 33 |
SUGGESTED DISCUSSION TOPICS Discussion topics The Committee discussed the list of Suggested Discussion Topics presented by the Human Resources Development Manager and the subject chosen for the next meeting was The Impact of the Olympics on Staff and Resources. |
Agreed | ||