Frequently asked questions 2
These
FAQs are from the UK website - click here for the UK Agenda for
Change pages
21 February 2003
TO: HEALTH BRANCHES
Dear Colleague
AGENDA FOR CHANGE - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We have had a number of requests for another set of "Frequently
Asked Questions" on Agenda for Change. The version below includes
questions raised at recent Regional briefings and others raised
at the last meeting of the Health Care Service Group Executive.
Yours sincerely
JIM DEVINE
Scottish Organiser (Health)
Where did the new proposals come from?
UNISON has argued since the mid-90s that there is a need to overhaul
the ways in which pay for NHS staff is set. Under the present system
some staff have their pay fixed by Pay Review Bodies, some by Whitley
Councils, some through local negotiations and some without any negotiations
at all. The present grade definitions reflect the way in which the
NHS was organised and staff worked over 10 years ago. NHS staff
continue to suffer from low pay.
All this means that people doing the same or equal jobs can be,
and are, paid differently and can have different conditions of
service. It means that different groups of staff get different
annual pay increases. These differences - in pay, in pay increases,
in conditions of service - undermine the spirit of teamwork on
which the NHS relies. They cannot be justified in a society which
believes in equal pay for work of equal value.
They stand as a barrier to delivering the best possible health
care to the people of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
How will UNISON consult members?
The National Executive Council (NEC) has agreed to a request from
the Service Group Executive (SGE) to designate part of the April
2003 Health Conference as a "special conference" to discuss the
Agenda for Change proposals. A ballot of all members will follow
this conference.
Currently the SGE has agreed that formal consultation will not
take place while the firefighters' dispute remains unresolved.
However we are currently briefing activists, regional health committees
and regional officers with a view to cascading information down.
We will be making available different levels of information from
simple information leaflets and briefings to more detailed documentation
for negotiators and stewards.
Branches will also be encouraged to have a wide ranging consultation
strategy with a view to encouraging as wider participation as
possible during the process.
When can we expect to see further details of the
proposals?
The full proposals, including the Job Evaluation scheme and the
first batch of job profiles, are being sent to branches and are
available for download. Further profiles will be posted shortly.
The proposed
final agreement and the job evaluation
handbook have now been released. The JE Handbook includes
the first batch of around 90 National Job profiles - more will
follow.
To read Acrobat PDF files you need Acrobat Reader software, which
is available free of charge from the Adobe
website in both PC and Mac format.
Will all managers be covered by the new system?
Chief executives and board level senior managers will not be covered
but will have separate arrangements. Other senior managers immediately
below board level and in posts scoring 630 or more points under
the Job Evaluation system may also be covered by the separate arrangements
for chief executives and board level managers.
What happens to leads allowances and bonus schemes?
The final details of this part of the agreement have not yet been
agreed. However most leads and allowances will be taken into account
by the Job Evaluation Scheme factors and will be consolidated into
basic pay. Most bonus schemes appear to conflict with equal pay
principles and so will disappear on assimilation, however there
may be some flexibility for bonus schemes if they are open to fair
access.
Can you clarify the proposed leave arrangements for
staff who currently have their annual leave expressed including
public and bank holidays?
Different groups currently have their annual leave expressed in
various ways combining different mixtures of statutory, extra statutory,
bank and public holidays. The basis for the new system is a simplified
harmonised scheme. This will mean basic leave for all staff will
be 27 days, after five years this will increase to 29 days and after
years 33 days. In addition there will be eight public/bank holidays.
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