Agenda item
Review of Employee Benefits
This report provides General Purposes Committee with an updated position on where Brent is in respect of negotiations with trade unions on the harmonisation of terms and conditions of employment and the introduction of a core contract for all Council staff. The is the final phase of the employee benefits review work
Minutes:
The interim Head of Human Resources, Cara Davani, explained to the Committee that the Employee Benefits Review was now in the third and final phase. The final phase involved moving all staff across to one, standardised, contract. She stated that after extensive negotiations with the Trade Unions, both unions were now in agreement with the Review. GMB had already balloted their members who had voted in favour of the review, and Unison were awaiting legal advice before balloting their members regarding the Review.
She then informed the Committee that all members of staff would work a 36 hour week under the new core contract. It had been calculated that this would affect around 500 members of staff. She also detailed that a working day would mean between 6am-10pm which would provide workers with greater flexibility and allow Brent to offer a better service to its customers. She also stated that the new contract would standardise night time working, weekend working, travel and subsistence, mileage rates and lump sum allowances.
The final phase would also include all staff members moving to the Outer London GLPC pay spine and all permanent staff being paid at least the London living wage. Schools were also being encouraged to ensure all their permanent staff were being paid at least London Living wage.
Cara Davani then explained that overtime payment was not being reviewed within this Employee Benefits Review as overtime arrangements had recently been altered quite significantly.
It was noted that most of the proposed changes would take effect from the 1 October 2012, however in order to reach a collective agreement it had been agreed that some of the changes would not be brought in until 1 April 2014.
Cara Davani concluded that these changes were estimated to cost the Council £135,000 this financial year however she stated, that the savings would far outweigh this initial cost.
It was explained that the increased productivity of all staff working 36 hours a week could not be quantified and that was therefore why it was noted as a notional saving within the report.
The question was raised as to why the Council would not be compensating staff who were expected to work at the weekends as working at the weekends impacted significantly on family life. Cara Davani explained that staff who worked a standard week of Monday to Friday would be paid additional money for working at the weekend. It was staff members who worked at the weekend as part of their normal working week who would be losing their weekend enhancement to ensure harmonisation.
J Moher thanked Cara Davani and HR for their comprehensive report. There was then a discussion regarding the Employee’s Joint Consultative Committee, a joint meeting between union representatives and councillors as employers attended by Human Resources representatives. J Moher expressed the view that a meeting of the Employee’s JCC should have been called to consider this Review to ensure that it was subject to proper scrutiny. He therefore proposed that the Employee’s JCC be reconvened to meet at regular intervals. The Committee were in agreement that the Employee’s JCC should meet in the future.
In response to a question from members on the assumption of increased productivity following from the introduction of a 36 hour working week, the Interim Director advised that this could not be quantified and therefore it was noted as a notional saving within the report.
RESOLVED:
(i) that agreement be given to the draft collective agreement which is subject to the outcome of the trade union balloting process;
(ii) that approval be given to the changes to terms and conditions of employment as set out in the draft collective agreement;
(iii) that it be noted that this committee is in favour of the Employees’ JCC being reconvened and for it to meet on a regular basis
Supporting documents: