A forum for the Council to consult with its employees via the recognised Trade Unions within the rules set out below.
Scope
The CCG covers all employees under the following terms and conditions of employment:
National Agreement on Pay and Conditions of Service for Local Government Services (Green Book). (Employees on Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) for Chief Officers Pay and Conditions of Service are excluded from this CCG).
Representation
The CCG shall consist of Councillors and Officers of West Lancashire Borough Council and trade union representatives of the recognised Trade Unions UNISON and GMB. The seat allocation shall be as detailed below:
6 Councillors, seats split on the lines of political balance; 2 Conservative Councillors and 3 Labour Councillors and 1 Our West Lancashire. Councillors are nominated by the Leader of the Council and the Leader of the Opposition respectively.
The CCG will have no official status within the Council; members of the CCG will be ‘volunteers’ on this group and it will have no power to make any decisions on behalf of the Council.
The Officer Representatives will be Head of Corporate and Customer Services and the Human Resources and Organisational Development Manager and nominated staff from services as required in accordance with the nature of the items being brought forward.
Trade Union membership shall be 5 seats, split on the lines of the balance of Trade Union membership within the Authority:
UNISON – 2 seats + 1
Regional Officer
GMB - 1 seat + 1 Regional
Officer
The Quorum of the CCG shall be three Councillors, (provided that any majority Group of the Council shall have most of the members present), two Officers and two Trade Union representatives. All parties may send substitutes as required.
If an Officer or Trade Union member of the CCG ceases to be an employee of West Lancashire Borough Council or a paid official of a Trade Union representing the employees of West Lancashire Borough Council, they shall cease to be a member of the CCG and a replacement will be provided.
Both the Trade Union side and the Borough Council side will be able to invite to the CCG a representative where the item under discussion requires knowledge specific to that item. The invited representative will only remain at the meeting whilst that item is being discussed.
Roles and Responsibilities
Chairing
Two alternate Chairpersons will be advised annually at the first meeting following 1st April in each year, and these appointments will last twelve months. The Leader of the Council will be Chairman on behalf of the Authority and the alternate Chair will be appointed from the Trade Unions.
The Chairmen shall alternate chairing the CCG from meeting to meeting. If the Trade Union alternating Chair is unable to fulfil this role a substitute will be provided from either GMB or Unison, in agreement with themselves.
The administration of the production of the agenda and minutes shall be by the Human Resources and Organisational Development Manager. The alternate Chairman will assume the role of the Chairman in the absence of the scheduled Chairman at any CCG meeting. (The Chairman does not have a casting vote).
Joint Secretaries
Both the Union and Management sides will respectively appoint a Joint Secretary from the CCG membership. The appointment will be on an annual basis.
The Joint Secretaries are jointly responsible for the collation of agenda items and the implementation of any actions agreed during the meeting.
Functions
The functions of the CCG shall be:
· To maintain a regular and clear forum for consultation and negotiation between the Council and its employees regarding terms and conditions of employment and other matters referred to it from time to time by either the management or the Trade Union side, committees of the Council, the Council or any other relevant working group.
· To provide a clear and consistent way of establishing communications within the Council in order that the Council can ensure its policies and procedures are understood by its employees and that the employees have a channel of communication to raise issues through the Unions to the CCG.
· To make recommendations to the appropriate decision maker with responsibility for Human Resources functions and Full Council as appropriate.
· To consider reviews and changes to terms and conditions of employment because of various initiatives within the Council and the corporate consequences of such changes.
Rules of Operation
· The CCG will meet no less than four times per year, once each quarter.
· The Joint Secretaries will draw up the agenda from items received by both sides. Additional items may be placed on the agenda at the meeting provided it has been shared in advance with the Joint Secretaries prior to them being raised.
· Meetings may be called in an emergency if required by either side, upon reasonable notice.
· Items may be shared outside of the formal meeting cycle via email to all group members for comment or consideration. Any agreement reached via this route will be reported and recorded at the next scheduled CCG meeting.
· Formal minutes will be maintained on behalf of the Chairman by the Joint Secretaries and issued after every meeting.
· Under the Council’s constitution and Scheme of Delegation, there will be no specific powers delegated to the CCG.
· The CCG will not become directly involved with any issues that relate to individuals employed by the Council, where there is an existing policy or procedure to explore the issue e.g., Disciplinary issues, Grievance issues, Formal Registered disputes, JE evaluations, Grading appeals and matters surrounding Recruitment and Selection, including promotion. This list is not exhaustive.
· The CCG provides a forum for disputes that remain unresolved, at a local level between Heads of Service and local TU representatives, to be referred and considered to the relevant decision maker for views to be noted to assist in the decision-making process.
· Where a dispute is raised, the side raising the dispute should put their case for the dispute forward first. The responding side will then put forward their case in response.
Amendments to the Constitution
Any amendments of the Constitution of the CCG will need to be agreed by all members of the CCG.
Communication
Communication surrounding this group will be delivered by formal minutes and a formal agenda with items presented through the Joint Secretaries.
Support officer: Sharon Lewis.