- Conference
- 2005 Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 23 December 2004
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference notes that the Agenda for Change proposals were accepted in the ballot of UNISON members and are now being implemented. Acceptance and implementation do not mark the end of the process of negotiations on new terms and conditions and pay structure but only an interim stage.
Conference affirms that UNISON regards Agenda for Change as a national agreement.
In line with the decisions of Health Conference in 2004 and the Special Conference on Agenda for Change this Conference now instructs the UNISON representatives on the NHS Staff Council to:
a.press for the submission of a claim for a 35 hour week for all staff without loss of pay;
b.seek the inclusion of the Agenda for Change Facilities agreement in the Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook – thereby extending the agreement to all TU duties; local UNISON representatives should also work with staff side colleagues to ensure the facilities agreement is implemented locally;
c.seek to ensure that there are national job profiles for all commonly occurring jobs within the NHS;
d.seek to ensure full joint monitoring of the roll out of Agenda for Change and results on job matching, job evaluation and protection be circulated to Regional Health Committees and Branches on a monthly basis;
e.seek to ensure adequate resourcing and backfilling of posts and strengthening of partnership working between accredited staff side representatives and management;
f.actively seek assurances and Government commitment that NHS organisations will be provided with the necessary ring-fenced resources to fully implement Agenda for Change;
g.raise the need for employers to provide paid leave for staff to undertake training and development to meet their needs as identified in their personal development plans in order to meet the requirements of the KSF;
h.seek to obtain clear jointly agreed guidance on the interpretation of the final agreement and new terms and conditions handbook thereby challenging the present apparent Department of Health policy of seeking local interpretations that ultimately disadvantage many of our members.
In respect of the review of unsocial hours provisions Conference re-affirms that:
·UNISON’s position will be one of no detriment in comparison with existing arrangements and harmonising and equalising upwards and that UNISON’s negotiators will pursue revised arrangements on the basis of enhancements being directly linked to hours actually worked;
·
·a membership ballot on the results of further negotiations on the review of unsocial hours will be held prior to any agreement on unsocial hours;
·in the event that the terms of reference of the review have not been met or implementation on 1 April 2006 is not possible for whatever reason, the status quo will apply up to any later implementation date;
·
Conference instructs the Service Group Executive to:
1.issue urgent advice and guidance on Recruitment and Retention Premia;
2.ensure that health branches have clear guidance on ways of engaging employers and members in learning initiatives and that there are clear links between learning, organising and recruitment.
3.ensure that there are sufficient training resources available for branch activists;
4.Implement the proposals agreed by Health Conference in 2004 with regard to the 35 hour week campaign, which include:
Producing materials for members and the public setting out the case for a 35 hour week, including an explanation of what “without loss of pay” means, especially for workers who usually calculate their pay by an hourly rate;
Producing information to address the management side’s likely response that any decrease in hours must either by paid for within existing budgets and/or matched by increased productivity, including an estimate of the extra funding which would be necessary to decrease hours without such budgetary constraints, and linking the campaign to the “Improving Working Lives” programme;
Urging Regional Health Committees to hold discussions about the campaign for a 35 hour week;
Urging Branches to hold meeting with members to discuss the campaign for a 35 hour week.
Finally, Conference re-affirms there will be a ballot on the final negotiated agreement on on-call payments and that UNISON’s negotiators will pursue revised arrangements on the basis of enhancements being directly linked to hours actually worked.