Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Tom Partridge-Underwood and Councillor Helen Howell.

No Declarations of Interest were made.

The minutes of the adjourned meeting held in Corby on 8^th September 2022 and reconvened in Kettering on 20^th September 2022 had been circulated.

RESOLVED that: -

The minutes of the meeting held on 8^th September 2022 (adjourned) and reconvened on 20^th September 2022 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To provide a summary of staff terms and conditions at North Northamptonshire Council and seek approval to apply a pay uplift to staff subject to TUPE protected local terms and conditions.

The Committee received a summary of staff terms and conditions within North Northamptonshire Council and were being requested to agree to apply a pay uplift to staff subject to TUPE protected local terms and conditions.

The Council had a range of pay, terms and conditions for its employees as a result of local government reorganisation. Staff transferring to North Northamptonshire Council on 1^st April 2021 transferred on the conditions they had been subject to at their previous sovereign council.

Whilst those employees who transferred on nationally agreed pay, terms and conditions, and those who had been appointed to the Council since 1^st April 2021 would contractually receive a pay uplift following national pay agreements, those on local terms and conditions would not automatically receive a pay award.

The Committee were updated that the 2022/2023 pay award had not yet been agreed nationally. To date, UNISON trade union members had voted to accept the employer’s offer. The remaining two unions (GMB and Unite) had closed their ballots on 21^st October 2022. A formal response from the trade unions was expected after 1^st November 2022.

The Council’s preference would be to apply any agreed pay award as soon as possible. Subject to final trade union agreement, the Committee were being requested to provide in principle support for the payment of the award (as detailed in the report) to employees on local terms and conditions.

The final offer that had been made to the trade unions included: -

NJC for Local Government Services (“Green Book”) Grades

• With effect from 1^st April 2022, an increase of £1,925 on all NJC pay points (1 and above);
• With effect from 1^st April 2022, an increase of 4.04 per cent on certain allowances – this impacts “sleeping in” payments for the Council’s workforce;
• With effect from 1^st April 2023, an increase of one day to all employees’ annual leave entitlement; and
• With effect from 1^st April 2023, the deletion of pay point 1 from the NJC pay spine.

The pay award for Chief Executives/Chief Officers, as well as Soulbury grades was awaiting further agreement, however these awards would not be applicable to any employees on local terms and conditions as all employees under these terms and conditions are employed on NNC terms and conditions.

Councillor Jelley indicated support for the recommendation and queried from where the “additional budget pressure” indicated in 4.13 of the report would be met. The Director confirmed that £750k would be from underspend and £842k from the contingency fund.

The Committee noted that the Council had previously agreed to apply an early pay award uplift to its lowest paid staff in September 2022 to reflect the Foundation Living Wage. This uplift was inclusive of (and not in addition to) any subsequent award and therefore any employee who had already received an uplift in salary would only receive the difference between the uplift already received and the proposed pay award of £1,925.

Councillor Roberts supported  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.