TU Statement on HR restructuring report (RE/2007/00064)

We wish to place on record that this report, on the restructuring of HR in the new Resources Department, has not been agreed with the Trade Unions. It was published without the Trade Unions seeing the final draft.

TU Representatives met Management on 20th April to explain our members concerns about a proposed “final” draft that they felt:
· did not clearly set out the service implications of cutting HR posts;
· did not clearly set out how the required financial savings were to be achieved; and
· had become a report about setting up a temporary team to deal with Absence Management programme.

At the end of that meeting, Management had taken on board some of our comments and undertook to redraft the report. We were waiting to receive a copy of the redrafted report when we found it published on-line in the Delegated Decision Record dated 30th April.

This episode follows the problems encountered during consultation over the new job descriptions. These were initially circulated and comments fed back from staff and Trade Unions. Management then amended the job descriptions at the commencement of their drawing up the Enabling schedules in the first week of March 2007. The amended job descriptions were eventually e-mailed to the Trade Unions at 17.33 on 25th April 2007.

Throughout the consultation process, our members have made clear their concerns that:
· the structure was being drawn up based on the financial position rather than operational requirements; and
· a reduced HR service would mean increased workload due to the “double whammy” of managers having to take responsibility for dealing with employment issues and fewer HR staff to deal with the fall out.

In conclusion, our comments on the report of 30th April are as follows:
· it has not been agreed with the Trade Unions;
· it does not explain how the “key themes underpinning the rationale” will be delivered by the proposed structure and with fewer staff;
· it does not provide the risk analysis of the reduced level of HR staff that our members have been asking for throughout the consultation process.

Bob Watt
Convenor
Joint Trade Union side
Resources JCNP