Agenda and minutes

To approve the record of the meeting held on 16 September 2010.

The record of the meeting held on 16 September 2010 was agreed and signed by the Chairman as correct.  

There were none.  

The Chairman will announce any late items which do not appear on the main agenda but which he/she has agreed should be considered by reason of special circumstances to be specified in the report.

There were none.  

(a)               Personal interests under the Medway Code of Conduct.

A Councillor who declares a personal interest in a matter, including the nature of the interest, may stay, speak, and vote on the matter.

(b)               Prejudicial interests under the Medway Code of Conduct.

A Councillor who declares a personal and prejudicial interest in a matter, including the nature of the interest, must withdraw from the room and take no part in the debate or vote on the matter.

Councillors who have declared a personal and prejudicial interest may make representations, answer questions and give evidence before leaving the room but only if members of the public are allowed to attend for the same purpose.

If an interest is not declared at the outset of the meeting, it should be disclosed as soon as the interest becomes apparent.

Councillor Carr declared a personal interest in all items on the agenda because he is a Local Authority Governor at Rivermead School and Chatham Grammar School for Boys and retained his right to speak and vote on the items.

Councillor Tony Goulden declared a personal interest in all items on the agenda because he is a Local Authority Governor at Luton Junior School and is a member of UNITE (Trade Union) and retained his right to speak and vote on the items.

Councillor Maple declared a personal interest in all items on the agenda because he is a Trade Union employee (GMB) and retained his right to speak and vote on the items. 

This report seeks approval to the implementation of the revised Organisational Change Policy and accompanying Managers Guidance.

Discussion:

The Assistant Director, Organisational Services, submitted a report which set out the proposed revised Organisational Change Policy. The Policy provided a framework for dealing with organisational change, including the statutory requirements for undertaking dismissals on the grounds of redundancy and other major organisational changes. Managers’ guidance was also included which would sit alongside the policy, the aim of which was to provide a more flexible approach on managing organisational change with an emphasis on reaching a mutual agreement wherever possible.

The main changes to the policy were set out in paragraph 3 of the report including an amendment to the existing rule that employees leaving the Council owing to redundancy or efficiency would not be able to return to the Council’s employment within 6 months of the date of termination and the reduction of the job matching ratio from 75% to 70%.

The report also provided details of the consultation process including the Council’s response to specific comments. It was noted that the Redeployment Procedure would need to be amended in light of the proposal to change the rules around time off for interviews.

Members discussed a number of issues including the reengagement/redeployment of staff, flexibility around the four week trial period (in redeployment cases), and the reduction in the job matching ratio.

Tania Earnshaw (UNISON) was invited to comment on the proposals.

Decision:

(a)   The Committee agreed to the implementation of the revised Organisational Change Policy and supporting managers guidance including:

(i)     the amendment to the existing rule regarding employees who had left the authority due to redundancy returning;

(ii)   the reduction of the job matching percentage from 75% to 70%.

(b)   The Committee agreed to the amendment to the Redeployment Procedure on time off for interviews, as set out in paragraph 4.2 (k) of the report.

(c)   The Committee agreed that officers should extend the trial period (section 17 of the policy) to provide greater flexibility as necessary.

This report sets out the details of the proposal to freeze increments and the consultation process with the trade unions and staff.  

Discussion:

The Assistant Director, Organisational Services, submitted a report which updated Members on the proposal to freeze staff increments and the consultation process with Trade Unions and staff.  The Cabinet agreed to begin consultation with employees and trade unions regarding the proposal to freeze staff increments on 28 September 2010. The Joint Consultative Committee considered the proposal on 18 October 2010 and the minutes from that meeting were set out at appendix 5 to the report.

The report set out the proposal in detail noting that the consultation period would end on 13 January 2011. The Employment Matters Committee would consider the outcome of consultation on 3 February 2011 with a final decision being made by Council on 24 February 2011 as part of the budget setting process. The Assistant Director confirmed that it was matter for Schools and their Governing Bodies as to whether their staff would be included in the proposals and that, currently, schools had indicated that they would not be taking the proposal forward. She also stated that some preliminary work had been undertaken on the proposals in terms of the impact on employees on low pay.

Members discussed a number of issues including the discussion of the proposal at the Joint Consultative Committee on 18 October 2010, whether the savings of £1.5m from this proposal would prevent a reduction of 50 jobs, and the impact of the proposals on low paid staff. The Assistant Director confirmed that the savings would arise on the revenue budget, the vast proportion of which was used to pay staff salaries.

Tania Earnshaw (UNISON) and Michael Barton (Voice) were invited to comment on the proposals.

Decision:

The Committee noted the details of the proposal and the consultation process for staff and Trade Unions.

This report covers the staffing issues in relation to the current in-year budget reductions and outlines progress since the Employment Matters Committee on 16 September 2010.

Discussion:

The Assistant Director, Organisational Services, submitted a report which covered the staffing issues in relation to the current in-year budget reductions and outlined progress since the last Committee meeting in September 2010.

It was noted that there were two further areas of the Council where there was a possibility, namely, ContactPoint and Medway Renaissance, details of which were set out in paragraph 6 of the report. The Head of HR Services confirmed that a counter-proposal from ContactPoint staff had not been accepted and that there were 2 employees at risk of redundancy.

Members discussed a number of issues including a request for the number of managers attending support sessions to the next meeting, the possibility of double counting staff attending support sessions, and efforts made to find alternative funding for services prior to making a decision to place staff at risk of redundancy.

Decision:

The Committee noted the present position and the support arrangements for staff.