Agenda item

The committee received a report from the Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service, Andrew Travers, which was presented by the Director of Human Resources, Graeme Lennon, together with the Deputy Chief Executive, John Hooton.

This report concerned a review of the pay, grading and terms and conditions of council staff and staff in community schools. The review aimed to make the pay and reward system simpler, fairer and more flexible, while rewarding performance.

The committee noted the results of consultations conducted between 8 February 2016 and 8 March 2016. Subject to the committee’s agreement, it was proposed that implementation of the revised pay, grading and terms and conditions would be 1 October 2016 for council staff and 1 April 2017 for school based staff.

Helen Davies (Branch Chairman) addressed the committee on behalf of Barnet Unison Trade Union.

There were several detailed questions raised by members on matters contained in the report, which were answered by officers.

Taking account of comments made by members, the chairman proposed the following amendments to the report recommendations:

-       that recommendation (c) be amended to offer voluntary health screening to all staff between the ages of 45 and 50 on a bi-annual basis and over 50 on an annual basis.

-       that recommendation (e) be amended to clarify that the revised pay structure would be implemented for council staff and community school staff currently earning below the maximum grade of £55,384.00 (Grade L).

-       that recommendation (g) in the report “that senior managers retain their delegated authority to within the council’s appointment policy to appoint employees at a salary within the appropriate grade for the job to reflect local conditions and circumstances” be deleted.

-       that recommendation (i) in the report (to become (h) following the aforementioned deletion) be amended to remove the need for an annual information report to be presented to committee.

The proposed amendments were agreed unanimously. The recommendations, as amended, were agreed unanimously.

RESOLVED that the General Functions Committee agrees:

a)    that a review of the Staff Annual Performance Appraisal Scheme be undertaken to ensure that it remains fit for purpose and this is delegated to the HR Director to complete(paragraph 6.3.2.1);

b)   that the Council continues to invest in its future managers through appropriate management development programmes (paragraph 6.3.2.1);

c)    that voluntary health screening should now be offered to all staff aged between 45 and 50 years on a bi-annual basis and annually to all staff aged over 50 years to cover checks that are not available as part of the nationally available NHS check (paragraph 6.3.3.2) with effect from 1st April 2017. Voluntary health screening for employees under 45 will be considered as part of the employee benefits scheme outlined in the report);

d)   that the Council continues to offer an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to all staff (paragraph 6.3.3.2);

e)    that the Council implements the revised pay structure outlined in paragraph 6.3.2.3 for Council staff and Community School staff currently earning below the maximum grade of £55,384.00 (Grade L)and that Council staff transfer to the revised pay structure from 1^st October 2016 and Community School staff transfer to the revised pay structure from 1^st April 2017;

f)     that employees are assimilated into the appropriate grade for their job on the following basis.  Employees currently paid below the proposed grade minimum will be assimilated to the proposed grade minimum.  Employees currently paid above the proposed grade maximum will be assimilated to the proposed grade maximum (and will receive pay protection for 12 months).  Employees currently paid between the proposed grade minimum and maximum will retain their current salary as at the date of implementation;

g)   that the Council moves across to a system where future pay progression is based on performance for all staff below Grade M, as described in paragraph 6.3.2.4 to be determined by the supervisor based on the annual appraisal dependent on a performance rating outlined in table 2 below applicable to all Council staff with effect from 1st October 2016 and Community School staff from 1^st April 2017 that the operation of the scheme be delegated to the Chief Operating Officer and HR Director;

h)   that two schemes be developed to enable the council to consider salary supplements for hard-to-fill posts and that the development and operation of any such scheme be delegated to the Chief Operating Officer, in consultation with the HR Director and agreed by the General Functions Committee (paragraph 6.3.2.5);

i)     that the existing market factor supplements as agreed by General Functions Committee on 23^rd June 2015, continue for the period 1^st April 2016 – 30^th September 2016 (paragraph 6.3.2.5);

j)     that consideration be given to developing a performance related pay (PrP) Scheme for those staff assessed for two consecutive years as outstanding through the annual appraisal scheme and that this is trialled unfunded for the next 2 years with potential introduction from 2018/19 subject to member agreement and funding being available. Should the proposal be agreed the Chief Executive will bring a report will be brought to a future meeting of the Committee when the proposal has been further developed. The scheme should recognise individual competence as well as team contribution to delivering Council priorities paragraph 6.3.2.5;

k)    that pay protection be time limited to 12 months following the introduction of Unified Rewards but following this 6 months for pay protection becomes the normal arrangement for all staff. Post unified rewards there will be a degree of managerial discretion regarding the period of pay protection to take into consideration individual circumstances to be appropriately considered in exceptional circumstances. The definition of exceptional circumstance  and the implementation of pay protection beyond 6 months should be delegated to the Chief Operating Officer in  consultation with the HR Director (paragraph 6.3.2.7);

l)     that retainer pay be removed for all Council staff with effect from 1^st October 2016 and on the 1^st April 2017 for Community School staff. It is proposed that quality pay be removed for all staff with effect from 1^st October 2016 (paragraph 6.3.2.8);

m)  that revised voluntary overtime rates outlined in paragraph 6.3.2.8 are introduced from 1^st October 2016 for Council staff and 1^st April 2017 for Community School staff;

n)   that contractual overtime will cease from the 1^st October 2016 except in a small number of cases where there are specific health and safety reasons why this needs to remain (paragraph 6.3.2.8);

o)   that all additional discretionary payment mechanisms (ad hoc/discretionary payments, market factor supplements) be removed with effect from 1^st October 2016 (paragraph 6.3.2.8);

p)   that a new Absence Management Code of Practice that reduces the sickness trigger levels be developed by the HR Director. From the current short-term absence triggers (10 days or 4 periods of within any 12 month period) is changed to 8 days absence or after the second occasion of sickness absence within any rolling 12 month period. Salary reductions would be imposed on those staff with unsatisfactory absence of 1 days’ pay at the first trigger, 2 days’ pay at the second trigger and 3 days pay at the third trigger. Therevised scheme be introduced on 1^st October 2016 for Council staff and 1^st April 2017 for School based staff but that any pay deduction are deferred for 12 months from implementation as described in paragraph 6.3.2.10;

q)   that all staff move to 30 days annual leave and that staff currently receiving more than 30 days annual leave per annum are protected at 31 days per annum for a period of 12 months. The revised arrangements are to be introduced with effect from 1^st April  2017(paragraph 6.3.2.9);

r)     that the Council will apply a single criteria of 2,500 miles per annum for eligibility for an essential car user allowance and remove the allowance for those not meeting the required criteria with effect from 1st April 2017(paragraph 6.3.2.11);

s)    that the Council investigate the provision of a comprehensive employee benefits scheme subject to the conditions outlined in paragraph 38, to be introduced with effect from 1st July 2016 (paragraph 6.3.2.12); and

t)       to authorise the Chief Executive and HR Director to implement these proposals on the basis of reaching a collective agreement with the relevant trade unions. If the Council does not reach a Collective Agreement then it would be asking staff individually to agree to the terms of their new contract with new pay, grading and terms and conditions.  Should neither collective agreement nor individual agreement of the new contract be forthcoming then proceed to dismiss staff and immediately offer to re-engage them on the new contract. As outlined in paragraph 4 of this report and mitigations outlined in the Equalities Impact Assessment appended to this report at Appendix A.