Item 6 - Minutes of JCF - 08 06 23
West Dunbartonshire Council · 16 August 2023
Back to Corporate Services Committee — 16 August 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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JOINT CONSULTATIVE FORUM At a Meeting of the Joint Consultative Forum held in the Council Chambers, Clydebank Town Hall, 5 Hall Street, Clydebank on Thursday, 8 June 2023 at 2.00 p.m. Present: Councillors Karen Conaghan, David McBride, Michelle McGinty and Martin Rooney; David Scott (GMB); Claire MacKenzie (SSTA); Susan Shannon and David Smith (UNISON); and Chris Rossi (Unite). Attending: Victoria Rogers, Chief Officer – People and Technology; Alan Douglas, Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration (Legal Officer); Amanda Graham, Chief Officer – Citizen, Culture and Facilities; Gail Macfarlane, Chief Officer – Roads and Neighbourhood; Laurence Slavin, Chief Officer – Resources; Angela Wilson, Chief Officer – Supply, Distribution and Property; Claire Cusick, Senior Education Officer; Alison McBride, Strategic People and Change Manager; Michelle Lynn, Assets Co-ordinator; Gillian Gall, Head of Human Resources, West Dunbartonshire Health & Social Care Partnership (HSCP); Fraser Jephson, Corporate Project Manager; Leeanne Galasso and Louise Hastings, People and Change Partners; and Scott Kelly, Committee Officer. Apologies: Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Councillors Jim Bollan, Daniel Lennie and Hazel Sorrell; Michael Dolan and James Halfpenny (EIS); John Wagner (GMB); Margaret Wood (Unite); Peter Barry, Chief Officer – Housing and Employability; Laura Mason, Chief Education Officer; Beth Culshaw, Chief Officer, West Dunbartonshire HSCP; and Margaret-Jane Cardno, Head of Strategy and Transformation, HSCP. Councillor David McBride in the Chair DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST It was noted that there were no declarations of interest in any of the items of business on the agenda. ITEM 6
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MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING The Minutes of Meeting of the Joint Consultative Forum held on 16 March 2023 were submitted and approved as a correct record, subject to the reference to the ‘Supply, Distribution and Property Health and Safety Committee’ being amended to ‘Joint Health and Safety Committee’ in the item under the heading ‘Trades Union Issues: Fixed Electrical Testing’. Having heard the Chief Officer – Supply, Distribution and Property, the Forum agreed:- (1) to note the up to date position in relation to the progress of the plan to address Fixed Electrical Testing; and (2) to note that the Chief Officer, the Corporate Asset Manager and the Building Services Manager had met with Margaret Wood (Unite) to address the concern which she had raised in relation to Kilbowie Emergency Lighting. PRESENTATION: OUTLOOK 365 Fraser Jephson, Corporate Project Manager, gave a presentation in relation to Outlook 365. The main points covered in the presentation were:- • An overview of the objectives of the 365 project including the delivery of efficiencies and transformation of service delivery. • The achievements to date and the lessons learned so far. • The plans for the future development of the project. Following discussion and having heard the Corporate Project Manager and relevant officers in answer to Members’ questions, the Forum agreed:- (1) to note the contents of the presentation; (2) to note the key role of Digital Champions in improving processes; and (3) to note that ICT and Legal were currently giving consideration to the implications of employees possibly using their own devices as part of the project, and that guidance on this matter would be issued in due course. Councillor McBride, Chair, thanked Mr Jephson for his informative presentation. EQUALLY SAFE AT WORK – PROGRESS UPDATE A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – People and Technology providing an update on the Council’s work on the Equally Safe at Work (ESAW) employers’ accreditation programme.
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After discussion and having heard the Strategic People and Change Manager in further explanation of the report and in answer to Members’ questions, the Forum agreed:- (1) to note the contents of the report; and (2) to note that the Strategic People and Change Manager would provide further information in relation to other Councils’ participation in the Equally Safe at Work accreditation programme. EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS MONITORING: ANNUAL UPDATE 2022/23 A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – People and Technology providing the annual analysis on employment relations matters and an update on employee engagement activities for the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023. After discussion and having heard Ms Galasso, People and Change Partner, and relevant officers in further explanation of the report and in answer to Members’ questions, the Forum agreed:- (1) to note the contents of the report; and (2) to note that Ms Galasso, People and Change Partner, would advise Mr Smith (UNISON) of the longest amount of time that a disciplinary investigation had taken. EMPLOYEE WELLBEING ANNUAL UPDATE 2022/23 (COUNCIL-WIDE) A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – People and Technology providing detailed analysis on Council-wide employee wellbeing and attendance for the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023. After discussion and having heard Ms Hastings, People and Change Partner, in further explanation of the report and in answer to Members’ questions, the Forum agreed to note the annual findings for reported absence from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, and in particular:- (1) the decrease in Council-wide sickness absence of 3,563 full time equivalent (FTE) days lost compared to the previous year; (2) that the proportion of absence attributed to minor illness had increased by approximately 13%, there had been a corresponding decrease of 13% in absence attributed to COVID-19, personal stress absences had remained unchanged whilst absences attributed to work related stress had decreased by 1%; and (3) that the proportion of absence that is considered long term had increased by 1.5%, up from 74% the previous year.
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TRADES UNION ISSUES The Forum noted that the Trades Union had not intimated, in advance of the meeting, any issues which they wished to raise. The meeting closed at 3.30 p.m.