Item 06 - Minutes of Joint Consultative Forum
West Dunbartonshire Council · 7 February 2024
Back to Corporate Services Committee — 7 February 2024 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 Council Chambers, Clydebank Town Hall, 5 Hall Street, Clydebank on Thursday, 14 December 2023 at 2.00 p.m. Present: Councillors David McBride, Michelle McGinty and Martin Rooney; James Halfpenny (EIS); Paul Carey and David Scott (GMB); Claire MacKenzie (SSTA); Susan Shannon and David Smith (UNISON); and Margaret Wood (Unite). Attending: Victoria Rogers, Chief Officer – People and Technology; Gail Macfarlane, Chief Officer – Roads and Neighbourhood; Andrew Brown, Senior Education Officer – Policy, Performance & Resources; Claire Cusick, Senior Education Officer; John Duffy, People, Quality and Governance Lead; Gillian Gall, Head of Human Resources, West Dunbartonshire Health & Social Care Partnership (HSCP); Alison McBride, Strategic People and Change Manager; Michael McDougall, Principal Solicitor; and Scott Kelly, Committee Officer. Apologies: Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Councillors Daniel Lennie, Karen Murray Conaghan and Hazel Sorrell; Shirley Furie and John Wagner (GMB); Alan Douglas, Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration; Amanda Graham, Chief Officer – Citizen, Culture and Facilities; Laura Mason, Chief Education Officer; Laurence Slavin, Chief Officer – Resources; Sylvia Chatfield, Head of Service for Mental Health, Addictions and Learning Disabilities, HSCP; and Fiona Taylor, Head of Health and Community Care, HSCP. Mr David Smith 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 7 September 2023 were submitted and approved as a correct record, subject to David Smith (UNISON) being removed from the list of those who had been in attendance at the meeting and who had voted in relation to the item under the heading ‘Annual Monitoring Report 2022/23 – Employment Equalities’. EQUAL PAY AUDIT 2023/24 A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – People & Technology providing an update on the findings and actions following the Council’s triennial Equal Pay Audit for the period 2023/24 After discussion and having heard the Chief Officer and the People, Quality and Governance Lead in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Forum agreed to note the contents of the report and the associated action plan. TRADES UNION ISSUES ‘Job Profiles’ (item requested by Joint Trades Union) It was noted that Mrs Wood, Unite, had provided the undernoted statement in advance of the meeting in relation to the above issue. “Changing job profile without employees being aware, managers misrepresenting the duties at job evaluation panel too force Learning Assistants to administer medication i.e. intermittent catheterisation, peg feeding etc. Raised with Education and at conveners meeting.” Following discussion and having heard Mrs Wood in further explanation, and officers in response, the Forum agreed:- (1) to note that it was Education officers’ understanding that the correct procedures in relation to job evaluation had been followed in the past but that they would ensure that relevant employee(s) would be invited to attend future job evaluation (to be determined by the analysts); (2) to note that a working group had been established in order that Education officers and trades union representatives could discuss the resourcing and training of employees who would carry out tasks including the administering of medication to children; and (3) to note that if any employees considered that they may benefit from re- attending any training in this regard then this would gladly be accommodated.
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‘HS1s’ (item requested by Unite) It was noted that Mrs Wood, Unite, had provided the undernoted statement in advance of the meeting in relation to the above issue. “HS1’s not being completed within Education other employees being disciplined for not completing no consistency. Raised consistently with Education and Conveners.” Following discussion and having heard Mrs Wood in further explanation, and officers in response, the Forum agreed:- (1) to note that HS1 forms could be completed by employees, but ideally in conjunction with their managers; and (2) to note that a pilot project in relation to HS1 processes, using Google Forms, would be taking place in Education in the near future and that it would be reviewed following its conclusion. ‘HSCP Failing to Adhere to WDC Change Policies’ (item requested by UNISON)/ ‘HSCP Issues with Consulting with Trade Unions’ (item requested by UNISON) It was noted that Mr Smith, UNISON, had provided the undernoted statements in advance of the meeting in relation to the above issues. “WD JTU have recently brought to JCF the HSCP for a similar issue, during this meeting HSCP gave assurances that they would follow the correct procedure for local government workforce which is the Change management process and supporting organisational change documentation. “It was our expectation that after this meeting that the HSCP would move to follow this process, this did not happen, HSCP continued to utilise the 4 D approach to service re-design. WD JTU has raised this as an issue at the Convener meeting for community care and we have also discussed this at the HSCP’s JSF.” “WD JTU had been aware for some time that a document was produced detailing information about the care at home re-design. WDC policies and procedures would dictate that TU’s would be involved with this, we were not. Repeatedly at various meetings WD JTU had asked for this information to be shared with us, including the data behind it. When agreement was reached to share it came to the trade unions only a few days before a meeting was arranged to discuss said document. We are confused as to why this is the case. Issues raised at meetings.” Following discussion and having heard Mr Smith in further explanation, and the Head of Human Resources, HSCP, in response, the Forum agreed:- (1) to note that a consultation process had recently taken place in relation to the review of the Integration Joint Board;
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(2) to note that it was necessary for West Dunbartonshire Council terms, conditions and policies to be applied to Council employees. VALEDICTORY – MARGARET WOOD (UNITE) Having heard Mr Smith, Chair, it was noted that this would be the final meeting of the Forum which Mrs Wood would attend as she was ending her time as both the UNITE Convenor and a trade union representative. Mr Smith, on behalf of the Forum, expressed his thanks to Mrs Wood and wished her well for the future, stating that her standing down would be a big loss to the Joint Trades Union. The Chief Officer – People and Technology echoed these sentiments. The meeting closed at 3.45 p.m.