CATHERINE SWEENEY Assistant Director of Administration (HR) Newry and Mourne District Council EMPLOYEE RELATIONS AND PAY & REWARD Industrial Relations Framework

Employee Relations Work to date Issues to consider

Work 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 & Reward Working Group Chair David McCammick and Roger Wilson HR Leads Karen Hargan and Catherine Sweeney LGSC Dermot O’Hara Council Membership Sharon Currans John Adams Gillian Arthur Helen Devlin Marissa Canavan Mark McAneny Rosemary McCullough Tommy Wright TU Membership Bumper Graham, NIPSA Davy Edmont - UNITE

Issues in establishing ER framework 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 Framework Local 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 Framework Local 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 Framework A 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 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 Framework

Membership of the Board and WG Best 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 - 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 nominations ER Board / Working Group EM CHIEF EXECS HR

Resourcing Framework Options to be considered for Secretariat Employer Side Officer - funding, location, support, performance management Secretariat NJC / NIJC

Way forward By 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 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