The Staff Side have requested an update on the current position.
Minutes:
By raising this matter, the Staff Side Secretary wanted to provide Members an opportunity to assess the position now reached and to understand the implications of the Council’s decision the previous evening to implement localised pay and conditions for staff.
He suggested that some 2,000 staff had not agreed to change their employment contract to reflect localised pay and conditions. This amounted to some 60% of the workforce. Under the national agreement, a first formal offer was made on 21st February 2013 and he suggested that this bettered the L B Bromley offer by providing a 1% pay rise, an increase in Annual leave and an increase in car mileage rates. An essential car user could obtain more through the national car mileage offer than the £200 offered by LB Bromley to accept localised arrangements. The gap between national and LB Bromley proposals had now shrunk with the national offer overtaking the benefits of the Council offer. The Staff Side Secretary asked whether the Council would now re-consider its proposals.
He indicated that the threshold for triggering the dismissal and re-engagement consultation process had been exceeded. If maintained, such a figure would provide those employees with a right of appeal against implementation. The Staff Side Secretary estimated that it would take some 57 weeks to conclude 2,000 employee appeals, highlighting that local pay and conditions were intended to be cost neutral. The Unite and Unison unions had balloted for industrial action against the national offer. Staff were now more anxious about the Council’s budget position; were local pay and conditions beneficial, the Staff Side Secretary suggested making them voluntary alongside an increased inducement.
The Chairman emphasised that the Council wanted a good working relationship; the desire was to have local terms and conditions for staff. Overall, 44.25% of staff (1,579) had agreed to local pay and conditions. Some staff may have also been awaiting the Council decision before responding. With the decision made, it was now possible to provide flexibility for staff through the new arrangements. Councillor Carr explained that the offer had been part of the budget process to provide certainty for staff. It included a pay offer of 1.7% for staff earning less than £21k (FTE) and1.2% for staff earning £21k (FTE) or more. It also included a £200 one-off facilitation payment to those agreeing the offer by 11 March. This would stand in the budget and there would be no change to conditions of service for two years (with an assurance of no plans to alter them thereafter). The offer provided was in good faith and would not change.
The Assistant Chief Executive (HR) disputed the suggestion that some 2,000 staff had yet to respond advising that 56% of the workforce had responded. Following the Council decision, more responses were expected in the next few days. The Bromley package was better than the national offer which comprised either (a) 1% linked to changes in conditions or (b) 1% for those on SPC4 -10 (staff earning to £14k) and 0.6% for remaining grades without any change in conditions. Linked to option (a) was an increase in the start of Annual leave from 21 to 22 days but this was below L B Bromley’s offer at 23 days.
The Staff Side Secretary referred to the national offer and mileage rate change. He also indicated that the 22 days Annual Leave offered nationally included two “statutory” days so improving on the L B Bromley offer. He highlighted that a non-response to the Council’s offer did not indicate agreement and hours worked or to be worked on the exercise had not been costed.
For clarification, the Chairman explained that 44.25% of staff had agreed to the Council’s offer and Councillor Carr indicated that it was not known when the national offer would be paid.