Issue - meetings

The report contains proposals to amend the trade union facilities , duties, activities and time off arrangements across the Council with a view to reducing expenditure on current time off provision.

The Head of Human Resources introduced the report which sought the Committee’s agreement for amendments to trade union facilities, duties activities and time off arrangements across the Council with a view to reducing expenditure on current time off provision.  The Head of Human Resources referred to paragraph 6, which reported that a number of meetings had taken place between himself and the Head of Schools Personnel, Deputy Director of Business Support &Development, Children and Young People’s service and representatives on the trades unions. The Head of Human Resources had allocated reasonable time off for branch officer roles to all trades unions by taking into account the following criteria:

• Union Membership numbers
• The volume and complexities of  Corporate and Local Industrial Relations issues taking place in the organisation
• A minimum of 0.1 facility time would be granted to each recognised trade union. In addition for unions with 0.1 or 0.2 facility time reasonable time off will be also granted in recognition of casework preparation and representation at meetings.

The Committee learned that the total current time off allocated to all the trades unions was 12.1 Full Time Equivalent posts which were proposed to be reduced to 7.5 Full Time Equivalent posts, a reduction of 4.6 full time equivalents. It was clarified to the Committee that, the figure of 0.1 (the number of days off allowed to deal with Union duties) was equitable to half a day off per week.

The Chair asked the deputation from the NUT to address the meeting and raise their views in regards to the report and its proposals.

Tony Brockman, representing the NUT, voiced opposition to the proposals contained in the report as they would mean a reduction in Council funding to teaching unions. Tony Brockman proposals were not seen as equitable in comparison to the reductions proposed to the other non teaching unions and the deputation asked the proposals to be repelled .Tony Brockman expressed concern that there had not been prior discussion of the proposed reductions through the form of a negotiating body or through the CEJCC. He disputed the membership numbers listed in the report and pointed to the lack of provision given to time off facilities for branch officers undertaking national union duties. Allocation of Health & Safety duties were also matters for resolution between the Council and the teaching unions as there was currently no provision in schools rules to accommodate these functions. Therefore there was a need to resolve the allocation of school safety issues and the learning representative duties which were now to be allocated to schools but which were previously carried out by the Council.

Tony Brockman further challenged the membership figures set out in the report and claimed that they were not accurate. The teaching unions had a higher number of members than listed in the report and advised the figure to be 2067. He further questioned the benchmarking exercise undertaken with other boroughs on their membership numbers and used as a basis to form recommendations. Anecdotal research  ...  view the full minutes text for item 140