Agenda and minutes

WE RESOLVED (i) that Councillor Peach be appointed Joint Chairman and Chairman for the meeting; and (ii) that Clive Tyler be appointed Joint Chairman from the Trade Union side.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor N Sanders and from M Beasley, S Eeley, B Moss and L Wright (all UNISON).

The minutes of the meeting held on 9th December 1999 were approved as a correct record.

The Trades Union side requested that all employees be granted a concessionary days holiday on 27^th December 2000.  The Single Status Officer Working Group had recommended that the request be not granted.

On being put to the vote, the Employers side voted by a majority (4-3) to reject the proposal and the Trade Union Side voted unanimously in favour of the proposal.  There was therefore no agreement reached by the Panel and the matter was referred to Resources Sub-Committee for determination.

Arising out of the decisions of Policy Executive Panel on 7^th September 1999, the Trade Union side suggested that employees in Contract Services, who normally finished work at lunchtime on a Friday, should be entitled to an additional half days leave for Friday December 24^th 1999 in addition to their normal annual leave entitlement and that this was explicit in paragraph 6.1 of the Christmas and Millennium Leave and Pay Proposals for 1999/2000.  The officers did not agree with this interpretation.  Following considerable discussion on this matter WE RECOMMENDED to Resources Sub-Committee that those former manual employees in Contract Services who did not have a half days leave on Friday 24^th December 1999 be granted a half day’s leave on Friday 22^nd December 2000.

WE RECOMMENDED (i) that the draft Code of Conduct for employees be approved; and (ii) that in respect of Section 3 of the Code (Additional Employment/Business Interests, including unpaid/voluntary work) an amnesty period of one month be granted to give employees the opportunity of declaring any employment or business interests that they may have.

The Trades Union side expressed the view that the National Job Evaluation Scheme should be implemented as soon as possible, as in their opinion it was the only scheme that met equal opportunities criteria.  However the officers view was that the only way this could be implemented was on a self financing basis.  On being put to the vote the Employer’s side voted by a majority (4-3) that the scheme should be progressed on the understanding that it was self financing.  As no consensus was reached by the Panel the matter would be referred to Resources Sub-Committee for determination.

Policy Executive Panel on 7^th September 1999 had agreed that a formal agreement should be signed whenever any jointly agreed local variations of terms and conditions of employment allowed by Part 3 of the Green Book and any procedures which have been jointly agreed to further the implementation of single status/harmonisation within the Authority needed to be signed.

The Panel noted that the following procedures would be signed after the meeting:-

1.         Standard Working Week                 (dated December 1998)

2.         Grievance Procedure                                   (dated December 1998)

3.                  Collective Disputes Procedure       (dated December 1998)

4.         Disciplinary Procedure and Rules  (dated September 1999)

5.         Redundancy Procedure                   (dated September 1999)

6.         Relocation Policy                              (dated September1999)

7.         Annual Leave Arrangements                       (dated September 1999)

8.         Capability Procedure                                   (dated December 1999)

9.         Childcare Voucher Scheme                        (dated April 2000)

10.       Code of Conduct                               (dated October 2000)

The Panel noted the Single Status Priority List and Work Programme as set out in the report.

The meeting having commenced at 3.00pm concluded at 4.20pm.