To submit the report of the Head of Corporate Support.
Minutes:
The Chair noted that the item was before the Committee in response to a
request received by two Committee members, Councillors John Brynmor Hughes and
Angela Russell, to discuss the letter sent to Council staff informing them of
the Council Cabinet's decision on 13 March 2018 to adopt adaptations to Council
conditions of employment.
The Head of Corporate Support Department submitted the report, and noted
that a letter had been sent to staff on 26 March to inform them of the Cabinet's
decision, in his name as the Head of Department with responsibility for
implementing the decision. He explained that a follow-up letter had been sent
on 3 April apologising to staff for the tone of the letter and the choice of
words used. He noted that the apology was sincere and that it needed to be
done. He emphasised that an important lesson had been learnt about the need to
be respectful.
Councillor Angela Russell thanked the Head of Department for his honesty.
She noted that she was concerned about the letter's impact on staff morale. She
asked whether an error had been made as a result of the impact of cuts with
insufficient staff to undertake the work and the pressures placed on them. In
response, the Head of Corporate Support Department noted, as he reported in the
Corporate Support Cabinet Member's performance challenge meeting, that he was
not going to hide behind a lack of capacity and that he acknowledged, that an
error had been made. He emphasised that it would not happen again and that
steps were now in place to ensure this.
Councillor John Brynmor Hughes noted that he was present at the Corporate
Support Cabinet Member's performance challenge meeting and that he had accepted
the Head’s explanation and the fact that lessons had been learnt and the
promise that such a situation would never arise again.
In response to a question from a member regarding who had seen the letter
prior to it being sent to staff, the Head of Corporate Support Department noted
that a solicitor specialising in the field of employment, who represented the
Monitoring Officer, had looked at the letter to verify that it was factually
correct. He explained that the tone of the letter was a matter for him as the
Head of Department.
A member enquired whether or not the Chief Executive had seen the letter.
In response, the Head of Corporate Support Department noted that the Chief
Executive had not seen the letter as it was an operational matter.
In response to a question from a member regarding how many staff had responded
to the letter, the Head of Corporate Support Department noted that 50% had
responded to the letter. He explained that the letter of apology sent to staff
noted that if staff did not respond to the letter, and that they were present
at work when changes to conditions of employment would come into force on 1
July 2018, their presence would confirm that they accepted the changes.
A member noted that he had received a copy of the letter as a school
Governors Clerk although he had not held the post for four years. He enquired
what impact the letter had had on staff morale. In response, the Head of
Corporate Support Department noted that it had become apparent that the
Education Department's school records needed to be updated. He explained that some
schools did not inform the Education Department of changes. He noted that the
Department's records had been updated since the letter was sent. In terms of
staff morale, an impact had been unavoidable, with a mixture of response from
staff with some unaffected and some who had felt unnecessary anxiety as a
result of the original letter.
In response to a question from a member regarding the support available for
staff, the Head of Corporate Support Department noted that a helpline was
available for staff where they could talk with Human Resources Advisers to
receive assurance about the situation and that he had spoken to some
individuals himself.
A member enquired whether or not there had been any staff resignations as a
result of the letter. In response, the Head of Corporate Support Department
noted that no individual had resigned as a result of the letter.
The Chair thanked the Head of Corporate Support Department and that he
hoped that lessons had been learnt. In response, the Head of Department noted
that he could guarantee that nobody was more disappointed than himself that
this had taken place.
RESOLVED to accept the report.
Supporting documents: