Leeds City Council
15 Jun 2011
Leeds City Council – Final Employment Related Proposals
Following the recent ballot in February 2011 consultation with the Trade Unions has been ongoing and, as a result of positive discussions, the original proposals have been revised. In summary, the main changes in this offer are:
Resourcing Team
The Resourcing Team was launched in March 2011, and forms part of the HR Service. From 1st April 2011 three Trade Union representatives (1 from each of the recognised Trade Unions) have been nominated to jointly work full time with the team.
The following 5 work priorities have been identified for the Resourcing Team:
1. Workforce planning
2. Flexible deployment opportunities
3. Early Leavers Initiative
4. Redeployment
5. Placements and Volunteering
The team has been developing each area of work and significant progress has already been made.
Considerable work has already been carried out to improve the management of the redeployment process and to date 119 redeployment cases have been resolved.
The Team has already developed a framework to support the process for matching employees’ skills, knowledge and competencies against posts. This framework is already proving successful and has enabled 70 employees to be ‘switched’ into new jobs across the Council. Longer term the team will be working to develop job families and competencies to enable the matching process to be more streamlined and efficient.
The Team will be working jointly with the nominated Trade Union representatives to progress each of the 5 workstreams and further updates will be provided.
Workforce Planning
To support the work of the Resourcing Team workforce planning information is being developed by each Directorate, which will include details of service reviews and restructures. The Council proposes to openly share the detail of the 12 month workforce plan with the Trade Unions to allow for better planning and proactive flexible deployment or retraining / re-skilling of employees.
Managing Workforce Change
To harmonise the managing workforce change supernumerary period for Council and former Education Leeds employees as follows:
Financial year 2011 / 12 - introducing a supernumerary period of 6 months plus a 3 month notice period for all employees regardless of length of service with effect from 1st July 2011.
Financial year 2012 / 13 – reducing the supernumerary period to 3 months plus a 3 month notice period for all employees regardless of length of service with effect from 1st April 2012. (on the basis that the proposals set out in this paper are in place )
Pay Protection
To introduce a pay protection period of 12 months at the end of which salaries will revert to the grade of the job being undertaken by the employee with effect from 1st July 2011
Where possible, to seek to redeploy all employees currently in receipt of pay protection, including both Managing Workforce Change and Lifelong arrangements, to posts graded at their pay protected salary level.
In order to clarify, if you are already on pay protection or in Managing workforce Change then this offer if accepted will not affect you. As Leeds City Council has confirmed they will honour your current arrangements as you where in the process prior to any change.
Early Leavers Initiative
To offer a second Early Leavers Initiative (ELI) scheme based on an enhanced 30 week severance payment scheme from 1st June 2011.
The Council will continue to work with the trade unions to look at other ways to avoid, reduce and mitigate against the need for compulsory redundancies. On the basis of the proposals set out in this paper, if jointly agreed, the requirement for the Council to consider compulsory redundancies at the end of the consultation period is reduced.
Ballot Letter to Leeds City Council Members.pdf