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Agenda

Agenda

Venue: The Executive Meeting Room - Third Floor, The Guildhall, Portsmouth. View directions

Contact: Vicki Plytas 02392 834058  Email: vicki.plytas@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

2.

Declarations of Members' Interests

3.

Minutes of the Meeting held on 16 September 2014 pdf icon PDF 42 KB

RECOMMENDED that the Minutes of the meeting of the Employment Committee held on 16 September 2014 be confirmed and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

 

4.

Sickness Absence Report pdf icon PDF 38 KB

(Heads of Service from those services where the average per person per year sickness absence level was higher than eight days per year in August 2014 have been invited to attend the meeting.)

 

The purpose of this report is to update and inform Employment Committee on actions being taken by Services to deliver a reduction in the levels of sickness absence.

 

RECOMMENDED that the Committee continues to support the implementation of good sickness absence management practices, and to ensure the appropriate management action is taken to consistently reduce absenteeism across Services.

5.

Senior Management Structure pdf icon PDF 66 KB

The purpose of the report is to advise Members of potential changes to senior (head of service and strategic director level) management structure of the Council in light of the reduction in the budget and changes to the council's operating environment.

 

RECOMMENDED that

(1)  Members consider the proposed reductions to the senior management structure as the basis for consultation with staff and unions

(2)  Members agree the wider consultation arrangements as the basis for drawing attention of all staff through existing internal communications channels.

 

Additional documents:

6.

Health and Safety Annual Report: 1/04/2013 - 31/03/2014 pdf icon PDF 247 KB

The purpose of the report is to update the Employment Committee on Portsmouth City Council’s (PCC) health and safety (H&S) performance for the period 1 April 2013 - 31 March 2014.

 

RECOMMENDED that the 2014/15 H&S action plan be agreed and endorsed by the Employment Committee.

 

7.

Discretionary Pension Policy Statement Review pdf icon PDF 66 KB

At the Employment Committee meeting on Tuesday, 17 June 2014 approval was given to the Portsmouth City Council Discretionary Pension Policy Statement. A number of minor changes to the policy are now required and this report seeks approval for these changes to be made.

 

RECOMMENDED that Employment Committee approves the discretionary pension policy statement set out in appendix 1 of this report with effect from 1 April 2014.

8.

Shared Parental Leave and Pay pdf icon PDF 65 KB

The purpose of the report is to appraise members of statutory changes affecting leave entitlements for parents and establish a rate of pay for shared parental leave.

 

RECOMMENDED that Employment Committee

 

(1)     Notes statutory changes to leave entitlements for parents

(2)    Pays the statutory rate of pay during shared parental leave

(3)    Requests the Head of HR, Legal and Performance to actively review the policy in light of demand for leave and emerging employment practice and report back to members if changes are required in light of experience.

 

Additional documents:

9.

Apprenticeships Follow-up Report pdf icon PDF 180 KB

The purpose of the report is to update members of the Employment Committee on the actions requested of officers at the Employment Committee held on 16th September 2014.

 

RECOMMENDED that Members

 

(1)  Note the positive progress to date in promoting apprenticeships within the Council as detailed in Appendix 1

(2)  Note the research that has been completed and the outcomes identified

(3)  Agree the following recommendations for work to increase apprenticeship opportunities within the City Council

 

a.    Set an Apprenticeship rate for the City Council at the National Minimum Wage rate for 18-20 year olds which is currently £5.13 per hour (£9,870.12 per annum excluding employment on-costs).

b.    Continue to identify staff in post who could convert to an Apprenticeship to enable access to a qualification.

c.    Work with services with high agency costs to identify any possible apprenticeship opportunities.

d.    Work with services to identify external funding opportunities to create supernumerary apprenticeship posts.

e.    HR officers to develop internal marketing and case studies to support apprenticeship recruitment.

 

 

10.

Living Wage pdf icon PDF 86 KB

NB the exempt appendix will follow.  If it is to be discussed at the meeting, provision has been made for this to take place in exempt session

 

The purpose of this report is to appraise members of issues and risks associated with implementing the Living Wage and, subject to these, to seek members' approval to implement the Living Wage.

 

RECOMMENDED that the Employment Committee

(1)  agree to implement the Living Wage as decided at Employment Committee in March 2014 with effect from 1 November 2014;

(2)  pay the Living Wage as a non-consolidated one-off payment in March 2015 for the initial launch and thereafter as a monthly non-consolidated payment (subject to recommendation (3) below);

(3)  undertake an annual review of the Living Wage payment following the annual rate review by the Living Wage Foundation;

(4)  note the Legal Advice in Exempt Appendix A and the risks detailed in this advice;

(5)  request the Head of HR Legal & Performance and the Head of Finance to draw up detailed criteria for applying the Living Wage payment where, for example, staff members start, leave or change jobs during the year, or who hold multiple jobs with the council, or who have transferred to the council from other organisations under TUPE rules;

(6)  instruct Officers to continue working with schools to ensure that, as far as possible, the Living Wage is also implemented in schools at the earliest possible opportunity.

Additional documents:

11.

Exclusion of Press and Public

That in view of the contents of the following items on the agenda the Committee is RECOMMENDED to adopt the following motion:

 

“That, under the provisions of Section 100A of the Local Government Act, 1972 as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) Act, 1985, the press and public be excluded for the consideration of the following item(s) on the grounds that the report(s) contain information defined as exempt in section 100l and by reference Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972”.

 

Although there is a public interest favouring public access to local authority meetings, given the legally privileged and commercially sensitive information contained in the report, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the (exempt) information.

 

(NB     The exempt/confidential committee papers on the agenda will contain information which is commercially, legally or personally sensitive and should not be divulged to third parties.  Members are reminded of standing order restrictions on the disclosure of exempt information and are invited to return their exempt documentation to the Democratic Support Officer at the conclusion of the meeting for shredding.)

 

Item                                                                             Exemption Para No.*

10 (exempt appendix)                                              

Paragraph Exemption Nos:                                     3, 4 and 5

 

3.Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

 

4. Information relating to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matter arising between Portsmouth City Council and employees

 

5. Information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings.

12.

Date of Next Meeting

The date of the next scheduled meeting is 6 January 2015.