Authority to Extend Changes to Terms and Conditions of Employment Groups Where Agreement Has Not Been Possible
Cabinet Member: Deputy Leader
Forward Plan Ref: 2011/057
Contact: Sue Corrigan, Strategic HR Manager TelL01865) 810280
Report by Head of Human Resources (CA14).
(The information contained in the report is exempt in that it falls within the following prescribed category:
4 – Information relating to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matters arising between the authority or a Minister of the Crown and employees of, or officer-holders under the authority.
It is considered that in this case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information in that disclosure would be detrimental to consultations or negotiations in connection with labour relations matters.)
During the final months of 2010, following the identification of the £8 million shortfall in the 2011-12 budget savings, consultations and negotiations were undertaken with major trade unions to seek agreement to changes to terms and conditions of employment which would render substantial savings towards meeting this deficit. The outcome of this was that Unison, following consultation with their membership, reluctantly reached an agreement for two years which made changes to car allowance rate, introduced a limited freeze on incremental rises and reduced the level of redundancy compensation. Discussions with other trade unions did not result in an agreement. Discussions are still taking place with these unions, however, if agreement cannot be reached it would be necessary to take steps to make changes to contracts of employment without agreement in order to maintain consistency across employment groups as far as possible and to maximise the savings made. This report seeks Cabinet agreement should it be necessary to make these changes without agreement.
The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to ask the officers to make every effort to obtain agreement from outstanding work groups to changes to terms and conditions in line with the Unison agreement, and, where this proves impossible, to authorise them to take appropriate steps to extend these changes to terms and conditions of employment to those groups of employees, so far as this is possible, where agreement has not proved to be possible.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The public was excluded during this item because its discussion in public would have been likely to lead to the disclosure to members of the public present of information in the following prescribed category:
4 – Information relating to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matters arising between the authority or a Minister of the Crown and employees of, or officer-holders under the authority;
and since it was considered that, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information, in that in that disclosure would be detrimental to consultations or negotiations in connection with labour relations matters.
Cabinet heard from Councillor Jean Fooks, Opposition Deputy Leader and following discussion agreed the recommendations set out in the report.