- Conference
- 2007 Local Government Service Group Conference
- Date
- 21 February 2007
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
This Conference is dismayed by the lack of success in negotiating a change in rules regarding continuous service. A motion was unanimously passed three years ago and yet still people who leave and come back to Local Government have to start building up service time to count for extra annual leave from scratch. We urge the Service Group Executive (SGE) to increase their activity in negotiations on this issue and to ensure the rules are changed within a reasonable timescale, as a measure within two years.
Conference had called on the Service Group Executive in 2004 to negotiate an improvement on the current policies regarding leave conditions. At present any time served in Local Government employment is discounted if a person leaves the service. If at a later stage a person rejoins Local Government they have to start as a new Employee.
Our members would benefit if all service counted, regardless of any break in service. The civil service count all time regardless of breaks and Local Government should adopt the same procedures.
In today’s society we are informed that people may not have one job for life, and people are encouraged to retrain for new careers. Enforced career breaks have become more commonplace, sometimes due to personal or family circumstances which may dictate a person resigning his job or because their employer has made them redundant. Members are not encouraged to come back to Local Government after a break. If a member returns they are penalised on returning to Local Government. At a time when many Councils are struggling to fill posts, penalising members who wish to come back to Local Government is counter-productive.
If all previous years’ service were counted, this would encourage more members to return to Local Government, therefore improving recruitment and retention.
1Conference asks that the SGE reports back on progress made on this issue to Conference 2008
2Conference asks the SGE to increase the activity in negotiations and seek to ensure the rules are changed