Issue - meetings

By Councillor Rust - Engagement with Employees

Meeting: 30/06/2020 - City of Edinburgh Council (Item 9)

By Councillor Rust - Engagement with Employees

By Councillor Rust - Engagement with Employees

“Council:

1)              Agrees that the contribution of The City of Edinburgh Council employees is vital to the operation of the Council and the Council owes a duty of care to its employees and engagement and consultation, such as in relation to the impact of Covid-19 on working practices, is a key part of that;

2)              Notes that based on Council information through deduction from pay as at January 2018: 35.6% of non-teaching employees were members of a non-teaching trade union (Unison; Unite the Union; GMB) and 0.47% of teaching staff were members of a trade union.

3)              Accepts that data is incomplete due to some employees paying their trade union subscription directly, and that anecdotally it is anticipated a majority of teachers will be members of a trade union, nevertheless recognises that there is clearly a remaining and potentially sizeable group of employees that are not trade union members.

4)              Recognises that trade unions have a role in the workplace in representing the interests of their members and through national frameworks or partnership agreements will for some purposes have a recognised role, but that a significant number of employees choose not to join a trade union.

5)              Therefore calls for a report to Policy and Sustainability Committee in three cycles on Council engagement with its employees, to include

a)              details as to the ways in which both non-trade union member and trade union member employees are currently engaged and consulted with:

b)              options to improve engagement and consultation such as through the establishment of employee forums in order to give a voice to those employees who choose not to be trade union members; and

c)              research /information from other authorities, and unionised sectors of industry as to potential models for ensuring appropriate staff engagement and consultation.”

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