CATHERINE SWEENEYAssistant Director of Administration (HR)

Newry and Mourne District Council

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS AND PAY & REWARD

Industrial Relations Framework

Employee Relations Employee Relations

Work to dateIssues to consider

Work to dateWork to date

Framework has been consulted

upon in 2013 – widely supported

Endorsed by LGRJF

NIJC Review has been undertaken

Draft Constitution for ER Framework

has been drawn up for consultation

Employee Relations and Pay Employee Relations and Pay & Reward Working Group& Reward Working Group

Chair David McCammick and Roger Wilson

HR Leads Karen Hargan and Catherine Sweeney

LGSC Dermot O’Hara

Council Membership

Sharon CurransJohn AdamsGillian ArthurHelen DevlinMarissa CanavanMark McAnenyRosemary McCulloughTommy Wright

TU Membership

Bumper Graham, NIPSADavy Edmont - UNITE

Issues in establishing ER Issues in establishing ER frameworkframework Authority to devise a new Employee Relations

Framework

Model Framework proposed - Employers’ and

Trade Union side membership of the Board and

Working Committee

Constitution, work plan and successor

arrangements for NIJC and LGRJF

Employers’ side resourcing

Consultation arrangements

Timeframe for implementation

Authority to produce Authority to produce FrameworkFrameworkLocal Government Staff Commission NI

Section 40 (4) (f) of the Local Government Act (NI)

1972, as amended, to:

(f) Promoting or assisting the establishment of, or

establishing, procedures for the negotiation between

councils.... and officers of councils ..... or associations

representing any of them, of standard rates of

renumeration, or other terms and conditions of

employment, for officers of councils ... and

recommending the adoption by councils ... of rates,

terms and conditions so negotiated.'

Authority to produce Authority to produce FrameworkFrameworkLocal Government Reform Joint Forum

3.6 of Terms of Reference

'Developing terms of Reference and making

recommendations for consultation and

negotiating, machinery for local government post

April 2015.

All decisions of the Joint Forum will be

promulgated under the authority of the LGSC

under Section 49(4)(f) of the Local Government

Act (NI) 1972

Aims of New ER Aims of New ER FrameworkFrameworkA negotiating and consultation framework

reflective of the new 11 Councils

An agreed Employee Relations Framework

that delivers results, enables change

sectorally and locally provides consistency

A time bound, priority based work plan

agreed to meet the HR needs of Councils

Provides for consultation between all levels

in the Framework

Advantages of Model Advantages of Model

Separation of Strategic (Board) and

Operational (Working Committee)

Direct nomination by Employers / TU

on to Board and Working Committee

Driven by Sector needs and can be

supported by a work plan

ER FrameworkER Framework

Membership of the Board Membership of the Board and WGand WGBest practice suggests 14 max for Board or

Working Group (Employer Side -7+ TU Side -

7)

Challenge for TUs to agree the membership NIJC – Unite/ATGWU – 5; Unite/Amicus – 1; GMB - 5 ;

NIPSA – 5; SIPTU - 1

LGRJF – NIPSA - 4; UNITE – 2; GMB - 1

Challenge for Employers’ Side to reflect

views of 11x Elected Members, Chief

Executives and HR Leads

Employers Side - Employers Side - Suggestion?Suggestion?Consultative and Advisory groups consisting of

representatives of 11 Councils from which nominations are made to participate in the Board / Working Group

Board nominations - issues to consider Elected Member nominations directly or from another

source?

Position of Responsibility in new councils ?

Tenure?

Board Working Group – issues to consider Rotation arrangements?

Fixed term in position?

Sharing responsibilities across councils?

Employer Side Employer Side nominationsnominations

Resourcing FrameworkResourcing Framework

◦Options to be considered for

Employer Side Officer - funding, location,

support, performance management

◦Secretariat

◦NJC / NIJC

Way forwardWay forwardBy end of January 2015

(Reconstituted) Meeting of Working Group - facilitated by LRA - to agree Draft Constitutions for Board, and Working Group; and Disputes Procedure

February / March 2015

- Consultation on Constitutions, (ie roles, powers, what can be negotiated regionally, locally, etc); resourcing issues

January / March 2015

Management Side HR Leads / Chief Execs to develop priority areas for work plan proposals for 2015/2016 to be consulted upon; and model for resourcing the ER Framework

Mid March 2015

Nominations to sit on Board and Working Group

Start of April 2015

1st meeting of the Board

Pay and Reward Pay and Reward An item on the Work Plan for the new ER Framework

aimed at providing

◦ Consistencies in how we approach R&S, L&D,

Performance

◦ Service delivery efficiencies – Payroll / HR

Components

◦ Common T&C

◦ Common job families / Standardised JDs / Catalogue of

jobs

◦ Job Evaluation redefined

◦ Generic approach to pay / simplified pay / flexible pay

packages