SEPTEMBER 08                                                                                           

To All GMB School Contacts

EDUCATION SINGLE STATUS UPDATE

NEWSLETTER

As you will be aware, GMB has been involved in long and detailed talks with your Employer in order to try and get the best possible Single Status package that can be achieved. Once these talks are ended, the package on offer will be put to you to decide if it is acceptable.  These talks have involved 2 weeks of intensive discussions followed by 3 months of regular meetings. 

GMB Representatives have been frustrated during the talks by the Employer’s approach to lots of issues, therefore, regrettably this latest Newsletter contains negative as well as positive items which management would like to implement. These discussions have not yet ended however; the aim of this communication is to update you and seek your comments/views on the various elements of the offer and to find out whether you would wish to attend a meeting to discuss this offer in greater detail. Listed in brief below are issues discussed:

1. The Single Source issue has still not been resolved which means that the LEA is still leaving the School to decide how much of the Single Status package is implemented.

2. The Employer wants to implement a cap on HLTA’s salary (nowhere else in the City does this happen).

3. The Employer wishes to move all TA’s to part-time/term time only workers and which will affect amongst other things your pension entitlement

4. The Employer has corporately set a number of hours which constitute full-time employment; this is 36.5 hours per week all year round. The LEA proposes to classify as part-time any worker contracted for less than these hours. Part of this change is the  introduction of an across the board system of pro-rata of annual leave, Bank Holidays and any allowances, for all part-time employees (working less than the above), this pro-rata system would reduce your Bank Holidays, annual leave and allowances, this will have a negative effect upon your take home pay.

5. Even though the rest of Birmingham City Council employees had their Single Status Agreement back-dated to April 2007, the LEA has stated that they are not prepared to do the same for you; they want to breach the National Agreement and deny you the right of back pay.  

6. The Employer with the exception of a group of mostly Lunchtime Supervisors continue to refuse to pay any equal pay claims for school staff (other BCC staff have received payments of up to £97,000.00.).

7.  Weekly paid staff will be moved to monthly pay. (Once the new payroll system is in place.)

8.   When you receive your new grade the LEA does not intend to give you access to a fair, equitable, open and transparent process for dealing with an Appeal. The appeal process should be heard by someone independent and not financially affected by the result of the appeal. The rest of the Birmingham City Council employees have this right that LEA is denying you.

9.   The Employer wishes to remove retainers for Lunchtime Supervisors.

10.  A Progression Agreement has yet to be reached on how in the future employees would be able to progress through the payment structure. Corporate talks are taking place on principals which all progression arrangements should contain.

11. Progress was made and levels of payments discussed during early talks regarding the provision of Additional Allowances covering activities such as; Residential sleep, Disturbance, Administration of Medication, Split Shifts, but the Employer have now changed their position, they are now no longer willing to pay these allowances, arguing that either workers do not have to carry out these duties but volunteer to do so, or that, they are duties already measured in the new grades.

12.  This caused a re-visit to the Job Evaluation data.  GMB now has major concerns about the way that new grades have been decided, several different systems where used during the period of evaluation and the percentage of job holders used was far too low. The Council have also refused to do face to face interviews.

New Grades under Single Status.

Detailed below are the various posts with the proposed grades.  Please bear in mind when considering this information that:

The subject of how long protection will be given to those employees suffering a loss in wages has yet to be concluded.

The corporate position, which is that those employees whose newly allocated grade involves an increase to their pay will be placed at the bottom of their pay band, whilst those employees whose newly allocated grade involves a decrease will be placed at the top of their pay band.

13. Lunchtime Supervisors will be Grade 2 - and are gainers through the process. However, the Employers suggested removal of the retainer and pro-rata of holidays would take some of those gains away.

14.  Senior Lunchtime Supervisors will be Grade 2 - and are affected as above. Additionally, there is an offer of a set payment of £500.00 subject of pro-rata reduction, which would be paid in order to recognise the extra responsibilities attached to this role.  This money would only be paid subject to implementation of the Single Status package in its entirety.

15. Level 2 Teaching Assistants – will be Grade 2. Those Teaching Assistants at Level 2 who were employed prior to 2004 and who with 32½ hours full time all year round contracts; this would cease and would be treated as term time/part-time employees.  This would result in significant pay reductions for this group after the protection period based on the grade allocated.  For those Staff employed after 2004 they are currently treated as term time only employees, therefore, their status would not change.  However, they would still see a reduction in salary due to the new Grading Structure.

16. Level 2/3 Teaching Assistants – There are a number of Teaching Assistants who were employed under the NJC Grading Structure for Nursery Nurses, Integration Assistants and Special School Assistants; for this group there would be also a pay reduction as in line with the Level 2. However, we have managed to secure a concession whereby if the employee is working at Level 3 then they should be uplifted to the appropriate pay band for Level 3 Teaching Assistants.

17. Level 3 Teaching Assistants - will be grade 3.  This group of Teaching Assistants will benefit financially from the Single Status package due to the pay band that they have been allocated.  However, it is proposed that they will lose their full-time status and become part-time/term time only employees.  This group above all others has the potential to be affected by the final outcome of talks regarding additional responsibilities on payments  relating to  administering medication, overtime payments, sleeping-in allowances, unsociable hours payments etc (detailed above). If progress can not be achieved then the GMB will strongly recommend that workers cease the practice of volunteering to perform such duties.

18. Grading of Caretaking staff has not been finalised. The LEA want to have 3 different grades depending on the size of the school and not on the duties performed. The grades at this time are pay bands 2, 3 and 4. Key holding is now 1 ¼ hours per day plus any overtime for any extra duties.

You will be consulted further on the Single Status Package however in the meantime please take the time to read and discuss this document with your colleagues and let us have your opinions by completing and returning the brief form enclosed in the pre-paid envelope provided.

For your information there is a more detailed and lengthier document explaining the issues covered in this newsletter produced by Birmingham City Council, copies of which can be requested from BCC.

I look forward to receiving your response.

Ann Lafferty

Organiser

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