Clackmannanshire Council
Clackmannanshire Council has written to all employees covered by the 1999 Single Status Agreement - an agreement which should, of course, have been implemented many years ago.
According to readers' reports - lots of people are very disappointed with the outcome. As usual, many of the traditional male jobs seem to have fared well but - predictably - many of the female dominated jobs have done not so well.
So, there may be an ongoing issue about how the council justifies the differences in pay - between the different male and female job groups.
The council letter is dated 4 December - and requests a reply by 18 December 2009.
The letter asks employees to either agree voluntarily to vary to their contracts of employment - or to confirm that they don't agree to the changes on a voluntary basis - in which case the changes will be imposed after giving the required period of notice.
The new terms and conditions of service will come into effect at a forward date of 31 March 2010 - more than a decade after the original Single Status Agreement.
The council says that a collective agreement has not been possible with the trade unions - so the council is issuing 12 weeks notice to all staff of their intention to terminate the old contracts - and re-engage people on the new contracts, if necessary.
We have been down the same road in other councils - so this is nothing to get worried or anxious about - no one's job is actually under threat.
But our advice is to choose Option B - i.e. to say that you do not agree to the changes on a voluntary basis.
Why? Because it's safer to have the council impose the new contract - and the new package of terms and conditions - rather than to accept these changes on a voluntary basis from the outset.
According to readers' reports - lots of people are very disappointed with the outcome. As usual, many of the traditional male jobs seem to have fared well but - predictably - many of the female dominated jobs have done not so well.
So, there may be an ongoing issue about how the council justifies the differences in pay - between the different male and female job groups.
The council letter is dated 4 December - and requests a reply by 18 December 2009.
The letter asks employees to either agree voluntarily to vary to their contracts of employment - or to confirm that they don't agree to the changes on a voluntary basis - in which case the changes will be imposed after giving the required period of notice.
The new terms and conditions of service will come into effect at a forward date of 31 March 2010 - more than a decade after the original Single Status Agreement.
The council says that a collective agreement has not been possible with the trade unions - so the council is issuing 12 weeks notice to all staff of their intention to terminate the old contracts - and re-engage people on the new contracts, if necessary.
We have been down the same road in other councils - so this is nothing to get worried or anxious about - no one's job is actually under threat.
But our advice is to choose Option B - i.e. to say that you do not agree to the changes on a voluntary basis.
Why? Because it's safer to have the council impose the new contract - and the new package of terms and conditions - rather than to accept these changes on a voluntary basis from the outset.
