MINUTE OF MEETING HELD on 12 JULY 2006

Present: Professor Stephen Logan (Convener), Mr Alex Arthur, Mrs Caroline Inglis, Mrs Diane Massie,

Apologies: Mr Steve Cannon, Professor Chris Gane, Mrs Sheena Grant, Mr Joe Leiper, Professor Bryan MacGregor, Mrs Chris McLeod, and Mr George Montgomery, Mr Scott Styles.

In Attendance: Dave Cumming (Clerk), Miss Margaret Main, and Mr Donald Davidson.

MINUTES

MATTERS ARISING

With regard to the minute of the extraordinary meeting held on 21 June 2006 the Unison representatives wished to record their support of Amicus’ position, as recorded in the minute, in relation to the proposed changes to the structure at this late stage.

The Amicus representative reported that their ballot on the proposed grade structure had returned a positive result in favour of the new pay and grading structure with only two staff having voted against the proposals.

The Unison representative advised that their Regional Officer had indicated that they would be balloting with a recommendation to accept the new structure.  The ballot papers were due to be issued during week commencing 17 July 2006.

UCU advised that they had discussed the concerns about the new Grade 8 with representatives of the management side and a position had been worked out that did not involve amending the new grade structure.  As a result the only outstanding issue had been resolved and they would now proceed to ballot their members with a recommendation to accept the new grade structure.  It was indicated that the balloting process would now start immediately.

An issue was raised around the timescale for implementation in August.  The Steering Group was advised that a meeting had taken place with the Payroll Staff and the HR Database Team and arrangements were being put in place to ensure payment of the new salaries was implemented on time with the August 2006 salary payments.

It was noted that the current grading committees would now cease to exist with the implementation of the Framework Agreement and it was recommended that a communication should be sent to all the members of these committees to thank them for their valuable contribution.  New procedures using the HERA job evaluation process would be put in place to evaluate new or changed roles.

It was also accepted that detailed procedures for the future use of the Contribution Points need to be prepared and agreed to ensure that they are in place in time for the next promotion and merit exercises.  In particular it was agreed that there was a need to develop clear criteria for support staff.

The Steering Group were also advised that work on the Equal Pay Review would start as soon as possible with a view to it being completed by October 2006.

IMPLEMENTING THE NEW GRADE STRUCTURE

It was reported that during the assimilation process it had become necessary as part of the implementation of the new Grade Structure to assimilate staff to contribution points to limit the number of red-circles.  The Trade Union representatives on the Steering Group were asked to endorse this assimilation procedure.  Following detailed discussion the Steering Group and the Trade Union representatives endorsed the use of the contribution points for initial assimilation purposes.

Secretarial, Support and Technical Staff assimilated to Grade 5 and above

The Steering Group noted that the secretarial, support and technical staff who were to be assimilated to the new Grade 5 or above would be issued with Academic Related Terms & Conditions of Employment.  They would however be given a one-time only opportunity to remain in membership of the UASLAS pension scheme.

The Steering Group and the Trade Union representatives noted that it had been necessary to issue the letters to staff prior to the completion of the balloting process to ensure payment of the new salaries in August 2006.  The letters did however include a statement that Court had approved the new structure and that it was still subject to formal ratification by the campus Trade Unions.   Unison and Amicus representatives intimated that they expected further discussions to take place on the wider harmonisation of the terms and conditions for their staff groups.

RED AND GREEN CIRCLE REPORTS

The Trade Union representatives welcomed the data relating to red and green circles.  It was noted that the figures provided were initial indicative figures and were still subject to change as there were still a number of outstanding job descriptions and some records were still being finally reviewed.

The Steering Group noted the relatively small number of red circles that equated to less than 2% of the total staff of the University.  The apparently high green circle figure of around 24% was the result of the University’s decision to address issues of low pay amongst its support staff by not using the first of the National spinal points and the decision to create a single grade for lecturing staff.

ORAL UPDATE FROM THE TRADE UNIONS

This item had been subsumed into the earlier discussions of the Steering Group and none of the Trade Union representatives had anything further that they wished to add at this time.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The Chair indicated that he would expect the next meeting to be the last meeting of the Steering Group, as he believed that the Group’s work would have been completed.  He did however accept that there was further work that would have to be taken forward through the normal consultative committees in relation to promotion procedures, the use of the contribution points and the Equal Pay Review.  Meetings of the relevant ‘stakeholders’ would be arranged to discuss these issues as appropriate.

It was agreed that the final meeting of the Steering Group should be arranged for early September 2006.  The actual date will be advised as soon as possible. 

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MINUTE OF THE EXTRAORDINARY MEETING HELD on 21 JUNE 2006

Present: Professor Stephen Logan (Convener), Mr Alex Arthur, Mrs Caroline Inglis, Professor Bryan MacGregor, Mrs Diane Massie,

Apologies: Mr Steve Cannon, Professor Chris Gane, Mrs Sheena Grant,  Mr Joe Leiper, Mrs Chris McLeod, and Mr George Montgomery.

In Attendance: Dave Cumming (Clerk), Miss Margaret Main and Mr Scott Styles

PROPOSE GRADE STRUCTURE

Professor Logan welcomed everyone to the extraordinary meeting of the Steering Group that had been called at the request of the UCU representatives to discuss an issue that had been raised by UCU’s national Pay Implementation Group (PIG).  Professor Logan stressed the importance of continuing to work in partnership with all the campus trade unions on the Framework Agreement implementation and asked Alex Arthur to outline the issue that UCU wished to discuss.

Mr Arthur advised that the Proposed Grade Structure had been supported by the local branch and after consideration by their Edinburgh Office it had been passed to their PIG for approval.  The PIG advised that they were prepared to endorse the proposals subject to three conditions.  Two of these conditions relating to pay progression from the new grade 5 to 6 and a statement on hourly paid staff had previously been agreed locally with UCU.  The outstanding issue related to the number of increments on the new Grade 8 (Senior Lecturer) scale.  The PIG stated that this grade should have no more than 5 incremental points for all staff on the grade including newly promoted or appointed staff.  They went on to state that if staff start at point 44 they would need to skip one increment before reaching point 49.  Mr Arthur went on to confirm that none of the other grades were non-compliant and the proposed solution was to remove point 44 from the grade and start Grade 8 at point 45.  He indicated that Aberdeen was the only University with 6 salary points in Grade 8 (or equivalent).  The Convenor countered this by advising that his intelligence indicated that there were in fact a number of pre and post 92 Universities whose grade structures indicated that they had more than 5 points in the grade that would apply to Senior Lecturers.

Mr Arthur expressed some surprise at this and stated that it was likely that these Universities would have agreed special progression criteria for staff that would result in them progressing through the grade using only 5 of the salary points.  He said that he would seek further information on this from UCU’s national officers.

A lengthy discussion ensued during which it became clear that there was considerable concern on the part of the other members of the Steering Group that this difficulty had not been identified by UCU at an earlier date as all the campus trade unions had indicated that they were agreeable to the proposed grade structure being taken forward. The Steering Group heard from other members of the Group, including the Amicus representatives, and considered the proposed structure closely after receiving information on the actual wording contained in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).  Following further discussion it became clear that there was strong opposition on behalf of the other trade unions and the management representatives to making any changes to the proposed grade structure at this late stage.

The UCU representatives expressed their surprise at the level of resistance to the proposal to remove point 44 from this grade and stated that UCU’s PIG could reject the University’s proposals unless this grade was reduced to 5 points or agreed progression criteria were established that would deliver the equivalent of a 5 point scale.  UCU was reminded by the Convenor that the overall package at Aberdeen was a good one and one that it was believed delivered benefits for all staff including Academic and Academic-related staff.  In particular the decisions to create a single grade for Lecturers and to enhance the discretionary points for Grade 8 staff were significant benefits for UCU’s members.  It was also pointed out that the proposed Grade 8 started higher than the current starting salary for Senior Lecturers and the new grade finished significantly higher than the existing on

It was agreed that the Director of Human Resources would provide a form of words to Alex Arthur that he could take back to UCU’s PIG detailing the position at Aberdeen and highlighting that the University believed that the total package at Aberdeen delivered benefits that were within the spirit and substance of the MOU.

Mrs Massie, one of the Amicus representatives, expressed concern that changes of the kind proposed, could affect the affordability of the grade structure either now or going forward.  She stated that Aberdeen University had made a number of concessions during the development of the grade structure that were to be welcomed and her union would not be happy with any changes that might affect the financial affordability of the proposals.  She also stated that her union could not accept any future job loses that might be put down to a late change to the grade structure

The Convenor concluded the extraordinary meeting by encouraging the local UCU representatives to do everything in their power to find a resolution to this difficulty that did not involve a reduction in the number of points on the new Grade 8 salary scale. 

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MINUTE OF MEETING HELD on 22 MAY 2006

Present:  Professor Stephen Logan (Convener), Mr Alex Arthur, Mrs Sheena Grant, Mrs Caroline Inglis, Professor Bryan MacGregor, Mrs Diane Massie,

Apologies: Mr Steve Cannon, Professor Chris Gane, Mr Joe Leiper, and Mr George Montgomery.

In Attendance:   Dave Cumming (Clerk), Miss Margaret Main, Mrs Chris McLeod, Mr Scott Styles,

MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting held on 18 April 2006 were approved.

PROPOSED GRADE STRUCTURE

The Steering Group were advised that AMICUS were ready to ballot on the proposed structure and would be recommending acceptance.  They also noted that a meeting was due to take place with the Regional Officer from UNISON on Thursday 25 May and that the proposals with some local assimilation guidelines would be considered by AUT’s Pay Implementation Group on 31 May 2006.

Following discussion it was agreed that roadshows should be arranged as soon as possible to advise staff about the proposed grade structure.  The trade union representatives stated that it would be helpful if some indicative mapping of current grades to the proposed structure could be provided at any roadshows or in any materials issued in connection with the grade structure.  As all the trade union would be balloting their members locally it was also agreed that the Unions should try to co-ordinate their ballots.  All the trade unions indicated that if they were balloting with a recommendation to accept they envisaged a positive ballot result.

The Steering Group agreed the proposed Trainee Technician Protocol that had been developed in partnership with the AMICUS representatives

The Protocol details the special procedures that will apply to Trainee Technicians and Graduate Trainee Technicians including the rates of pay that will be applicable for these roles as they fall outwith the Proposed Grades.  It was also noted that the current Grading Committees would cease to exist in their current form with effect from 1 August 2006 and new review arrangements would have to be agreed.

The Steering Group noted the grades that would apply to technicians and computer operators under the terms of the proposed grade structure.  It was also noted that it was intended that the shift work allowance paid to computer operators would be consolidated into base pay for this group of staff as shift working was a normal requirement of these roles.

AUT confirmed it was intended that their Pay Implementation Group would consider the Proposed Grade Structure and local assimilation rules on 31 May 2006.  They commented that it would be important that new promotion procedures and procedures for the use of the contributions points should be developed as soon as possible after the grade structure is approved.

AMICUS confirmed that they were ready to ballot their members with a recommendation to accept the proposed grade structure.  They also advised that they would expect a minimum of an annual promotions/re-grading round to be retained in any new procedures.  They stated that all options should be considered including a rolling programme.

UNISON indicated that they were hopeful of progressing to a ballot with a positive recommendation soon but this was subject to their Regional and National Officers consideration of the proposals.

The trade unions were reminded of the extremely tight timescale remaining if the new grades were to be implemented on 1 August 2006 and they were asked to expedite there consideration and approval of the proposals.

PROJECT PLAN

It was noted that there has been unavoidable slippage in the project plan because of the time taken to complete the job evaluation process and to create an acceptable grade structure.  Work was still progressing to collect the relatively small number of job descriptions that were missing from across all areas of the University.  Work would start shortly on conducting the equal pay review.  The Group were informed that taking into account the 1 June local Pay Offer it was now likely that letters would not be issued to staff about their new grade until mid-July 2006.  The Steering Group noted that it was still the intention to go live with the new Grade Structure on 1 August subject to the necessary agreement from the Trade Unions being forthcoming in the near future.

SFC FUNDING

The budget statement with regard to the SFC funding was noted.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

It was agreed that the June meeting of the Steering Group should be cancelled and that the next meeting should take place in on 3 July 2006 at 12.30 p.m. in the Court Room, University Office.

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Minute of the meeting held on 18 April 2006

Present: Professor Stephen Logan (Chair), Mr Alex Arthur, , Mrs Sheena Grant, Mrs Caroline Inglis, Mrs Diane Massie,

Apologies: Mr Steve Cannon, Professor Chris Gane, Mr Joe Leiper, Professor Bryan MacGregor, Mr Ronnie Milne, Mr George Montgomery

In Attendance:  Mr Dave Cumming (Clerk), Miss Margaret Main, Mrs Chris McLeod, Mr Scott Styles

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The Minute of the meeting held on 15 March 2006 was approved subject to an minor amendment to Section 6, Paragraph 2.

MATTERS ARISING

There were no matters arising that were not already agenda items.

JOB EVALUATION APPEALS PROCEDURE

The Steering Group considered the revised draft job evaluation appeals procedure that had been prepared following a constructive meeting with trade union representatives.  After discussion the Steering Group agreed the procedure subject to the following changes –

The sentence “It is the intention wherever possible to resolve matters informally without the requirement to proceed to Stage 2” should be deleted from the third paragraph of Stage 1 and added to the end of the first paragraph.

The last sentence of the third paragraph of Stage 2 should end at “campus trade union.”, and a new second sentence should be added to this paragraph as follows “Members of the Panel will have had no previous involvement in the case.”

NATIONAL ACADEMIC ROLE PROFILES

The Steering Group considered the paper submitted on the use of the National Academic Role Profiles at Aberdeen.  After discussion it was agreed that the paragraph at the start of the fourth page “If the matching exercise…” should be deleted.  Subject to this amendment the Steering Group endorsed the document.

PROPOSED GRADE STRUCTURE

The Steering Group was advised that a meeting had taken place with the local representatives of the recognised campus trade unions to review the first draft of the proposed grade structure for use at Aberdeen.  At the meeting the trade union representatives, working in partnership with the University representative, had suggested a number of changes to the original proposal and these had now been brought together into a revised proposal that was awaiting costing by the Finance Section.

The Senior Vice-Principal thanked the trade unions for their input to this important part of the Framework Agreement implementation and requested that a meeting be scheduled with the full-time officers of the recognised campus trade unions to consider more fully the revised proposal.  The Senior Vice Principal indicated that he would like this meeting to take place as soon as possible and preferably before the end of April 2006.

PROJECT PLAN

The Steering Group noted that the revised project schedule was indicating some slippage in the completion of some aspects of the job evaluation process and grading design phase and as a result the timescales through to July 2006 needed some significant revision.  It was agreed that a further revised schedule should be prepared for the next meeting of the Group.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

It was noted that the date of the next scheduled meeting would have to be changed.  The Clerk advised that arrangements for an alternative date be made and the Steering Group would be advised in due course.

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Minute of the meeting held on 15 March 2006

Present: Professor Stephen Logan (Chair), Mr Alex Arthur, Mr Steve Cannon, Mrs Sheena Grant, Mrs Caroline Inglis, Mr Joe Leiper,  Professor Bryan MacGregor, Mrs Diane Massie,

Apologies: Professor Chris Gane, Mr Ronnie Milne, Mr George Montgomery

In Attendance: Mr Dave Cumming (Clerk), Miss Margaret Main, Mrs Chris McLeod, Mr Scott Styles

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The Minute of the meeting held on 9 February 2006 was approved subject to an amendment to Section 4, Paragraph 4.

MATTERS ARISING

There were no matters arising that were not already agenda items.

JOB EVALUATION APPEALS PROCEDURE

The Steering Group received a draft job evaluation appeals procedure for consideration.

It was noted that the appeals procedure had been drafted in a way that aimed to resolve issues through an informal process wherever possible.  The process was designed to be straightforward and transparent.

Following some detailed discussion around the proposed procedure it was agreed that the Director of Human Resources should meet with representatives of the recognised campus trade unions to address some of their issues and potential concerns and to prepare a revised version of the Procedure for consideration at the next meeting of the Steering Group.

NATIONAL ACADEMIC ROLE PROFILES

The Steering Group considered the paper on the proposed use of the National Academic Role Profiles (NARPs) at Aberdeen.  The AAUT representative indicated that he felt there were a few issues still outstanding following earlier consideration of the NARPs and the scoring of the national profiles.

The Steering Group agreed that the Deputy Director of HR should meet with the AAUT representative to review and revise the proposal for further consider at the next meeting of the Group.  It was noted that Professor Bryan McGregor would also provide input into revising the document as it had not been possible to consult him prior to the meeting.

JOB EVALUATION, JOB MATCHING AND GRADING STRUCTURE

The progress being made on this part of the implementation was noted.

PROJECT PLAN

It was noted that the timescale detailed in the plan had slipped a little as the development of a proposed grade structure had just commenced.  The Trade Union representative also indicated that insufficient time had been built in to allow them to consult their regional and national officer and their members locally on any proposed grade structure.

Following discussion Unison, Amicus and the AUT indicated that the process of consulting with the full-time officers might take up to 6 weeks from start to finish.

It was agreed that this aspect of the plan would need to be kept under review.

The Steering Group also noted that the revised plan did not include time for the development of procedures for dealing with promotions and progression within grades including the use of the contribution points.  It was accepted that this would be addressed once a grading structure had been agreed.

BULLETIN No. 4

The Steering Group agreed that the Bulletin should be issued to all staff as soon as possible.

SFC FUNDING STATEMENT

The budget statement prepared by Linda Jowett was noted.  The Steering Group were advised that there was an outstanding issue around TU facilities time for Unison and Amicus that would be addressed.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Steering Group will take place at 12 noon on 15 March 2006 in the Court Room, University Office

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Minute of the meeting held on 20 December 2005

Present: Professor Stephen Logan (Chair), Mrs Evelyn Argo, Mr Alex Arthur, Mrs Sheena Grant, Mrs Caroline Inglis, Mr Joe Leiper, Professor Bryan MacGregor, Mr George Montgomery

Apologies: Mr Steve Cannon, Professor Chris Gane, Mrs Diane Massie, Mr Ronnie Milne, Mr Scott Styles

In Attendance:  Mr Dave Cumming (Clerk), Miss Margaret Main, Mrs Chris McLeod,

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The Minute of the meeting held on 14 November 2005 was approved

MATTERS ARISING

The Group noted that Framework Agreement Bulletin No. 3 had been issued and that a further Bulletin would be produced for issue early in the New Year.

PROPOSED ASSIMILATION AND PAY PROTECTION ARRANGEMENTS

The Steering Group noted that a short life technical group comprising the Director and Deputy Director of Human Resources and representatives from the recognised Trade Unions had met to take forward the proposals that had been presented to the Steering Group for consideration at its last meeting.  The revised paper presented for consideration at this meeting was the result of a constructive dialogue that led to some agreed changes being made to the original proposals. 

The Director of Human Resources confirmed that the document laid out the principles that could be used once the new pay and grading structure was finalised.  However it was emphasised that the document was only a statement of principles and it would be subject to final agreement once the new pay and grading structure had been developed.

The Steering Group approved the document and the Chair thanked those involved for their constructive input that had resulted in the agreed statement of principles for assimilation and pay protection.

HARMONISATION WORKING GROUP

The Steering Group received an oral report from the Director of Human Resources as Chair of the Harmonisation Working Group.  She advised the Steering Group that the information provided at its last meeting on the costs of implementation of the reduced working week had subsequently proved to be factually incorrect in relation to implementation within Campus Services.  The Group had been advised that the reduction in the working week had been introduced across the University at no cost, but the financial out-turn from Campus Services had since shown that, as a result of the late implementation of some aspects of the reduction, overtime payments had been made to some staff that had led to £19k of additional expenditure.  Steps would be taken to rectify this additional expenditure as far as possible during the remainder of the current financial year.  This additional expenditure had occurred at a time when Campus Services had been generating additional income and the section was currently ahead of its project income target.

With regard to the other aspects of Harmonisation, the Working Group had been developing proposals for a standard set of Terms and Conditions of Employment that would apply to all Secretarial, Technical and Support Staff.  These proposals would be taken forward for consideration early in the new year with a view to them being introduced on 1 August 2006.  Consideration was also being given to introducing monthly pay for all staff that would reduce the number of payrolls being run by the University from four to one.

JOB EVALUATION

The Steering Group received an update on the progress being made with the job evaluation meetings.  It was noted that the number of meetings taking place had increased and the duration of the meetings had decreased as the Role Analysts were becoming more proficient in the Job Evaluation methodology.  The Chair intimated that he wished to thank the Role Analysts for their input to this important activity.

It was further noted that a report would be submitted to a future meeting of the group on the review of the National Academic Role Profiles that was currently being undertaken in consultation with a number of senior academic staff from across the University.  The Chair noted that there was currently no member of staff from the College of Arts and Social Sciences on the list of staff involved.  The Group was advised that names had been put forward from the College but as yet none of these people had agreed to participate in the review.

The Steering Group was further advised that progress was being made with the evaluation of the generic Support Staff roles.  Meetings had taken place with groups of cleaners, porters, security and grounds staff.  Arrangements were being made to meet with Catering and Residences staff and Sport and Recreation staff in January.

It was also noted that work would be undertaken to create generic role profiles for the maintenance engineers and electricians.  The evaluation of these roles would be taken forward in a similar way to the other Support Staff roles.  These staff were currently outwith the Framework Agreement as their pay was derived from the SJIB rates.  The appropriate future pay arrangements for these staff would require further consideration once the output from the job evaluation of the roles has been fully considered.

PROJECT PLAN

The updated project plan was noted.  Amicus requested that the Equal Pay Review should take place before any new pay and grading structures were implemented.  The Steering Group was advised that, in accordance with the Project Plan, it was the intention to undertake the review before staff were notified of the outcome of the job matching process to ensure, as far as possible, that the new pay and grading structure delivered equal pay for work of equal value and did not introduce any unfair bias or discriminatory arrangements.  The Director of HR indicated that she would wish to have some of the Equal Pay Review undertaken by an external expert who could give an unbiased view on the proposed new structure and the assimilation arrangements.  This support would need to be funded from the SFC funds that had been made available for the project.  The Group were advised that the original budget had made allowance for input from specialists as part of the Job Evaluation process.

SFC FUNDING

The Steering Group noted the updated financial statement.  The AUT representative asked for a breakdown of the funds that had been made available for trade union time.  The Clerk agreed to provide this for the next meeting.

WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP IN HIGHER EDUCATION

The Steering Group noted that copies of the UCEA report “Working in Partnership in Higher Education” had been provided to the AUT and the Support Staff Trade Unions and that a file copy would be retained in Human Resources for reference.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The Steering Group agreed to cancel the meeting scheduled for January 2006 as there would be little activity on the Project prior to the scheduled date of the meeting because of the Christmas closure of the University.  It was agreed to hold the next meeting of the Steering Group in early February 2006.  The Clerk would make appropriate arrangements to cancel the January meeting and reschedule the February meeting to an earlier date, if possible.

Clerk’s Note

The meeting schedule for 17 January 2006 has been cancelled.

The next meeting of the Steering Group will take place in February on a date to be confirmed.

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Minute of the meeting held on 14 November 2005

Present: Professor Stephen Logan (Chair), Mr Alex Arthur, Mr Steve Cannon, Mrs Sheena Grant, Mrs Caroline Inglis, Professor Bryan MacGregor, Mrs Diane Massie, Mr Ronnie Milne

Apologies: Mrs Evelyn Argo, Professor Chris Gane, Mr Joe Leiper, Mrs Chris McLeod, Mr Scott Styles

In Attendance:  Mr Dave Cumming (Clerk), Miss Margaret Main

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The revised Minute of the meeting held on 24 August 2005 and the Minute of the meeting held on 11 October 2005 were approved.

PROPOSED ASSIMILATION AND PAY PROTECTION ARRANGEMENTS

The Management representatives indicated that the proposal being presented to the Steering Group for consideration was intended to be a statement of intent until such time as the detailed grading structure is developed in partnership with the recognised trade unions.  The Director of Human Resources advised that it was important to have agreed principles up front so that there was no temptation to fit the structure around individuals.  It was noted that the proposals had been developed using the details contained in the Framework Agreement and related JNCHES guidance.  One of the Amicus representatives advised that they see the JNCHES guidance as the minimum that must be delivered but they would be looking for local improvements.

The trade union representatives agreed that the arrangements that are agreed should not be designed to fit around individual requirements.  It was important that fair and equitable procedures were developed but they were unanimous in agreeing that there were too many issues of detail in the proposal that needed to be reviewed to allow them to agree to the proposal as it was currently drafted.

The Chair asked the trade union representatives if there were particular points of principle that they were unable to agree to.  Following further discussion during which a number of specific concerns were raised it was agreed to establish a short life joint technical group to prepare a revised proposal for consideration at a future meeting of the Steering Group.  The Director and Deputy Director of HR were asked to progress this as quickly as possible

JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND JOB EVALUATION

The Steering Group received an update on the progress towards gathering job descriptions from all non-clinical staff.  It was noted that around 1850 job descriptions had been received and that this number would increase once the recently received descriptions were logged on the HR database.  A number of job descriptions were still outstanding in the Colleges and the University Office area and steps were being taken to gather the remaining descriptions. 

The Job Evaluation meetings with the identified benchmark role holders is progressing well and 77 job evaluation meetings have been completed with a further 31 scheduled.  Over 100 roles will have been evaluated by the end of November 2005.  Arrangements are also being made to consult a number of senior academic staff about the use of the National Academic Role Profiles.  The AUT have been consulted and work has been undertaken to score these profiles.

PROJECT PLAN

It was noted that the delay in gathering the job descriptions was impacting on the Project Plan.  As agreed at the last meeting a revised Project Plan would be prepared for the January 2006 meeting of the Steering Group that would take account of the acknowledged slippage.

SFC (Formerly SHEFC) PROGRESS REPORT & FUNDING

The Steering Group noted the progress report that had been sent out by circulation for comment. The Group was advised that this report had been submitted to the University Court at its meeting on 1 November 2005.  The report had also been submitted to SFC prior to the 31 October 2005 deadline set by SFC for receiving the latest progress report.

AOCB

It was noted that the 3rd Framework Bulletin discussed at the last Steering Group meeting had not been issued as it needed significant revision.  The Chair asked the Clerk to ensure that it was issued prior to the next meeting and that the revised version should be circulated to the Steering Group for comment before it is issue.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Steering Group will take place at 12 noon on Monday 5th December 2005 in Committee Room 2, University Office, King’s College.

Clerk’s Note:

Following the Steering Group Meeting it was agreed that the next meeting of the group should be re-scheduled to 11 am on Tuesday 20 December 2005 in Committee Room 2, University Office, King’s College.

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Minute of the meeting held on 11 October 2005

Present: Professor Stephen Logan (Chair), Mr Alex Arthur, Mrs Sheena Grant, Professor Bryan MacGregor, Mrs Diane Massie.

Apologies: Mr Steve Cannon, Professor Chris Gane, Mrs Caroline Inglis, Mr Joe Leiper, Mr Ronnie Milne.

In attendance: Mr Dave Cumming (Clerk), Miss Margaret Main, Mrs Chris McLeod, Mr Scott Styles.

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The Minutes of the meeting held on 24 August 2005 (FASG05/5M) were approved subject to an amendment to the section relating to the agreed Grading Statement to reflect the agreed position for the support staff trade unions.

MATTERS ARISING

Grading Statement

It was noted that the revised Grading Statement agreed at the last meeting of the Group had been approved by JNCC at its meeting on 4 October 2005. 

JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND JOB EVALUATION

The Steering Group noted the current position regarding the collection of the job descriptions from across the University. 

BENCHMARK ROLES

The Group noted that the identification of benchmark roles was progressing and agreed that a pragmatic approach to this process was necessary to ensure that no unnecessary evaluations took place.  It was accepted that all groups needed to be represented in the benchmark samples but the percentage identified may vary between groups especially where generic profiles or the National Academic Role Profiles were used.

NATIONAL ACADEMIC ROLE PROFILES

Following discussion it was agreed that the University should investigate in more detail the possible use of the National Academic Role Profiles.  It was agreed that a small group of senior academic staff should consider the relevance of the profiles at Aberdeen and suggest any rewording that would be necessary to make the profiles more acceptable locally.

The AUT representative indicated that there may be issues around matching job titles/roles to the National Academic Role Profiles.  It was agreed that this should be considered more fully as part of the review of the use of the Profiles at Aberdeen.

PROJECT PLAN

The Steering Group agreed that a revised Project Plan should be prepared for its January 2006 meeting to reflect any changes that become necessary as a result of any slippage in either the gathering of the job descriptions or the conduct of the job evaluation meetings.

SHEFC Progress Report & Funding

7.1 SHEFC Progress Reporting
The Steering Group noted that under the terms of the additional funding made available to the University to support the implementation of the Framework Agreement the most recent progress statement considered by the Court had to be forwarded to SFC (formerly SHEFC) by 31 October 2005.  As the next meeting of Court is scheduled for 1 November 2005 it was agreed that a progress report should be submitted to Court at that meeting and the same report should be forwarded to SFC.  A draft copy of the report to Court would be circulated to the Steering Group for comment.

7.2 Budget Statement
The Steering Group received an updated budget statement that had been prepared by Linda Jowett, Financial Accountant.  The Group asked for some more detailed explanatory notes on future reports to aid its understanding of the budget report.

FRAMEWORK BULLETIN

The Group noted the terms of the draft Framework Bulletin No 3.  Members of the Group were asked to forward any comments to the Clerk so that these could be taken into account when preparing the final version for issue to all staff.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Steering Group will take place at 11.00 am on Tuesday 8 November 2005 in the Court Room, University Office. 

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Minute of the meeting held on 24 August 2005

Present: Professor Stephen Logan (Chair), Mr Alex Arthur, Professor Christopher Gane, Mrs Sheena Grant, Mrs Caroline Inglis, Mrs Diane Massie, Miss Margaret Main, Mrs Chris McLeod, Mr Scott Styles.

Apologies: Mr Steve Cannon, Mr Dave Cumming, Mr Joe Leiper, Professor Bryan MacGregor, Mr George Montgomery.

In attendance:  Miss Diane Young (Clerk)

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The Minutes of the meeting held on 20 June 2005 (FASG05/4M) were approved.

MATTERS ARISING

There were no matters arising from the previous minute.

The Director of Human Resources tabled a draft joint statement for staff in light of the recent media coverage relating to the proposed pay and grading arrangements at Aberdeen City Council.  The Steering Group agreed to forward any comments on the proposed statement to the Director of Human Resources so that the statement could be issued as soon as possible.

REDUCTION IN WORKING WEEK AND HARMONISATION

The Director of Human Resources gave an update on the Reduction in the Working Week for Support Staff since the last meeting. Agreement had been reached in principle to move to a 36.5 hour week from 1 August 2005.  Staff affected by this change had been advised and the revised hourly rates had been implemented with effect from 1 August 2005.  Agreement had also been reached in principle to introduce new shift patterns for those Support Staff currently working shifts.  Many of the new shift rotas were based on annualised hours.  The Director of Human Resources had met with representatives from the TGWU, Unison and Amicus on 23 August 2005 and reached agreement subject to some small amendments.  It was expect that a new annualised hours system would be introduced from 1 October 2005 for the relevant Support Staff. Professor Logan expressed congratulations to everyone involved in the process

The Director of Human Resources also advised that letters were being issued to Technical Staff advising them of a half an hour per week reduction in their standard full-time working week. Consultation had begun with the Technical Resources Managers regarding the implementation of this reduction.

PHASE 1 IMPLEMENTATION

The Director of Human Resources gave an update on the Phase 1 implementation in the College of Physical Sciences.  She advised that 12% of posts had been identified as benchmarks and all but two of these had gone through the process. The Steering Group had previously been advised that the University Administration had started the job description process and information sessions had been delivered to groups across the Administration. Some job descriptions were still outstanding and the process of identifying job evaluation benchmarks had begun. Professor Logan expressed a need to keep going at a reasonable pace and commented that as most people were now back from annual leave the process should speed up over the next few weeks.

JOB DESCRIPTIONS

The Director of Human Resources advised that the College of Life Sciences and Medicine had launched the job description process a few weeks ago. The deadline for submission was next month although an internal deadline, set by the College, had now passed. The Director of Human Resources advised that information sessions had been provided across the College and these had been well attended with several hundred attending over 8 sessions which were held at both King’s College and Foresterhill.  She advised that the process had been helped by communication from within the College. The process of identifying possible benchmark roles had begun.

The College of Arts and Social Sciences College Executive meeting on Friday 26th August 2005 would be advised that the job description exercise was about to commence in the College based on a deadline of 31 October 2005. The Head of College had issued a communication to staff in the College about the process. The AUT representative expressed concern over internal RAE assessment review around the same time. Professor Logan advised that he would speak with the Head of College to stress that these were separate processes.

PROJECT PLAN

The Director of Human Resources gave a brief oral update on the project plan. There had been some anxiety expressed about the timescales and while there was a potential to slip badly from the project milestones there was optimism that the project would remain on track to deliver against the original plan. The job evaluation process was undoubtedly resource greedy but the time taken to conduct the job evaluation meetings was speeding up as the Role Analysts gained experience. The Steering Group discussed the job evaluation process and agreed that wider engagement of all the Role Analysts should be implemented in order to speed up the process. The possibility of buying in additional resources for carrying out job evaluation meetings was discussed. It was agreed that the job evaluation process should, where possible, be speeded up without reducing the quality of the work that was being done.

AUT GRADING STATEMENT

The Steering Group received an oral report on the background relating to the AUT’s national position regarding grading structures for academic and academic related staff. The grading statement was developed as an interpretation of the Memorandum of Understanding before the introduction of the job evaluation process. It was intended to be a minimum statement with respect to determining grade boundaries. Other union representatives raised concerns that it was too early in the job evaluation process to discuss grading structures and concerns were raised that if the other trade unions agreed to it, at this time, it could be detrimental to their members’ interests.

The Steering Group agreed that they were committed to partnership working and after a short adjournment and detailed discussions, the AMICUS and UNISON representative reluctantly accepted the statement. They further stated that they would be monitoring the position with regard to grade structures to ensure that their members were not disadvantaged. The management representatives assured the representatives of AMICUS and UNISON that the acceptance of the AUT grading statement would result in no detriment to other staff groups and reiterated that all staff groups would be treated equally in the implementation of the job evaluation process.

Professor Logan thanked all parties for their support and commitment to continue partnership working.

SHEFC FUNDING

The Steering Group noted a report that provided a breakdown of the expenditure that had been allocated against the SHEFC Funding.  The Steering Group agreed that this information should be provided for each meeting.

UCEA CIRCULAR

The Steering Group noted the survey findings in relation to the implementation of the Framework Agreement across the sector.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Steering Group will take place at 10 am on Monday 12th September 2005 in the Court Room, University Office, Kings College, Aberdeen.

Clerk’s Note:
Subsequent to the re-scheduled August meeting that took place on 24 August 2005 it was agreed that the meeting scheduled for 12 September 2005 would be too close to the last meeting of the Group and as a result it should be cancelled.  The next scheduled meeting of the Steering Group will therefore take place at 11 am on 11 October 2005 in Committee Room 2, University Office.

Annex to Minute

Framework Agreement Implementation

Agreed Grading Statement

The University confirms its commitment to implement the Framework Agreement for the modernisation of pay structures, and the associated Memorandum of Understanding, in full for all academic and academic-related members of staff. 

The University and AUT have reached the following understanding on key principles to ensure that the Memorandum of Understanding is implemented in relation to the relevant part of the final grade structure.

Subject to the outcome of a robust job evaluation exercise it is anticipated that:

1. There will be not more than five grades for academic and academic-related staff with role profiles for academic, research and academic-related staff assigned to each of the appropriate grades. The university will apply common grade boundaries across different job families and no differentiation will be made in the design and application of the new grading arrangements between new and existing staff. There will be a normal expectation of annual progression through the increments to the non-discretionary maximum of the grade, with contribution points at the top of each grade.

2. (a)  The first academic grade will be the minimum entry-level grade for academic-related and research posts and advancement to the second academic grade will be the normal expectation for these roles, subject to the requirements of the appropriate profile being met.

2 (b)  Staff appointed to academic-related and research roles at the first academic grade will be supported through the University's Staff Review and Development process to help them develop sufficiently to meet the requirements of the appropriate profile for the second academic grade.

3. The second academic grade will be the entry-level grade for lecturers. The non-discretionary maximum for this grade will be set no lower than point 36. Progression to this point will take no more than 10 incremental steps for academic-related and research staff appointed to the bottom of first academic grade and progressing to the second academic grade in line with the arrangements set out above.

4. Lecturers will have a normal expectation of progression from the second academic grade to the third academic grade, in line with current arrangements for progression from Lecturer A to Lecturer B, subject to the requirements of the appropriate profile being met.

5. The non-discretionary maximum of the third academic and related grade will be set no lower than point 43.

6. The non-discretionary maximum of the fourth academic and related grade will be set no lower than point 49

7. The minimum of the fifth academic and related grade will be set no lower than point 50.

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Minute of the meeting held on 17 May 2005

Present: Professor Stephen Logan (Chair), Mr Alex Arthur, Mrs Sheena Grant, Mrs Caroline Inglis, Professor Bryan MacGregor, Ms Evelyn Argo, Mrs Chris McLeod.

Apologies: Mr Steve Cannon, Mr Joe Leiper, Mrs Diane Massie, Mr Dave Cumming, Mr Scott Styles, Professor Chris Gane, Mr George Montgomery

In attendance: Mrs Rosemary Harrison (Clerk)

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The Minutes of the meeting held on 13 April 2005 (FASG05/2M) were approved.

MATTERS ARISING

2.1 Job Families

It was reported that Dave Cumming and Alex Arthur had attended the National Role Profile training for Aberdeen

2.2 Date of Next Meeting

It was noted that the proposed meeting of 18th July had been cancelled.

PHASE 1 IMPLEMENTATION

The Steering Group received a written report from the Deputy Director of HR and an oral report on progress from the Director of HR. The Group noted that there had been a little slippage on timescales due to insufficient time having been allowed for staff in the College of Physical Science to successfully complete the process. Many forms were now at College level. It was also noted that there needed to be better communication and there will be further briefings and training for line managers and staff. The Group also agreed that there was a need to improve the perception of academic members of staff. It was noted that initially 33 benchmark roles were identified in the College.

JOB EVALUATION DOCUMENTATION AND TRAINING

The Steering Group noted the written report from the Deputy Director of Human Resources. The Group further noted that there had been positive feedback from the training sessions. It was noted that there remained some training needs with role analysts.

PROJECT PLAN

The Steering Group received the Progress against Plan Document. The Group was advised that the High-level Plan was broadly still on track although there would need to be some catching up in the Phase 1 implementation in the College of Physical Sciences . It was noted that the University of Aberdeen is the only Institution not currently under pressure to develop a particular grade structure whilst it is happy to speak about grade structures in principle. It was noted that if the University were to issue a statement like the Bristol statement, suitably modified this might be helpful. It was agreed that there was a need to maintain flexibility.

REDUCTION OF THE WORKING HOURS

The Steering Group supported a 36.5 hour working week for support staff.. The Steering Group noted that there would be a final draft of generic job descriptions to be presented to the next meeting. The Group noted that there were issues around the provision of 24 hour cover by the Security team that need to be addressed as their working week would need to be reduced from 42 hours per week to 36.5 hours. A Rostering Consultant has been contacted to advise and will shortly have four proposed rosters to put to the trade unions for consideration. These options will be costed to ensure affordability. It was noted that in other Institutions new shift patterns had helped reduce sickness absence levels.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Steering Group will take place on Monday 20th June 2005 in the Court Room, University Office, Kings College , Aberdeen.

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Minute of the meeting held on 13 April 2005

Present: Professor Stephen Logan (Chair), Mr Steve Cannon, Mrs Sheena Grant, Mrs Caroline Inglis, Mr Joe Leiper, Mrs Diane Massie.

Apologies: Mr Alex Arthur, Professor Bryan MacGregor, and Mr Ronnie Milne

In attendance: Mr Dave Cumming (Clerk), Prof Chris Gane, Miss Margaret Main, Mrs Chris McLeod, Mr Scott Styles.

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The Minutes of the meeting held on 14 February 2005 (FASG05/1M) were approved.

MATTERS ARISING

2.1 Job Description Template

The Steering Group noted the revised Job Description Template and associated Guidance. Both documents were approved subject to the following wording being added to the end of the first paragraph of the Guidance Notes under the heading 'Principal Duties/Responsibilities' - 'Such activities are valued by the University and are recognised in other ways.'

2.2 Job Evaluation Documentation

The Steering Group noted the local Job Evaluation Documentation that had been prepared jointly with representatives from all the recognised campus trade unions.

2.3 Project Plan

The Steering Group was advised that there were no significant issues to report as the project was broadly running to plan. It was noted that the timescale for Phase 1 was very tight and to remain on target it was important that the preparation and collection of all the job descriptions in the College of Physical Sciences ran to time.

2.4 Job Families

The Steering Group noted that the proposed job family structure for the University had been endorsed by SSLC and JNCC and approved by the Staffing and Development Committee at its meeting on 8 March 2005.

It was also noted that the President of AAUT and the Deputy Director of HR were due to attend a seminar on the use of the National Academic Role Profiles on 14 April 2005.

REDUCTION IN WORKING HOURS

The Steering Group received an oral report on progress from the Director of HR. The Group noted that the Working Group that had been established to take this matter forward was meeting on a fortnightly basis. The Working Group were close to agreeing generic job descriptions and were continuing to work on issues relating to the harmonisation of terms and conditions of employment. The Group expected to be in a position to bring forward proposals to UMG and SSLC during May.

UCEA Circular 05 3

The Steering Group noted the circular 'New Pay Structures: Implications for Research Council Grants'.

UCEA Circular 05 33

The Steering Group noted the circular relating to the eligibility for USS membership in pre-92 Universities after new pay structures were implemented. The Group were advised that UCEA were still trying to clarify a number of issues and further guidance is expected in the future.

SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS

The Steering Group received the Schedule of Meetings through to July 2006. It was suggested that it might be difficult to hold meetings monthly during the summer vacation period. It was agreed that the schedule should be revised to take account of annual leave commitments where possible.

Clerk's Note - The meeting scheduled for 18 July 2005 has now been cancelled.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Steering Group will take place at 9.00 am on Monday 17 May 2005 in the Court Room, University Office. The Amicus representatives submitted their apologies for the next meeting and advised that Mr Brian Paterson and Mrs Evelyn Argo would attend the next meeting.

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Minute of the meeting held on 14 February 2005

Present: Professor Stephen Logan (Chair), Mr Alex Arthur, Mrs Sheena Grant, Mrs Caroline Inglis, Professor Bryan MacGregor, Mrs Diane Massie.

Apologies: Mr Steve Cannon, Mr Joe Leiper, Mr George Montgomery

In attendance: Mr Dave Cumming (Clerk), Prof Chris Gane, Miss Margaret Main, Mrs Chris McLeod, Mr Scott Styles.

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The Minutes of the meeting held on 20 January 2005 (FASG04/5M) were approved subject to minor amendment.

MATTERS ARISING

2.1 Training

The Steering Group received feedback from the clerk and the trade union officials who had attended the HERA Role Analyst training during January 2005. Following discussion it was agreed that the information gathered during the job description phase of the project should be designed to produce as much of the data required for the HERA analysis as possible. It was accepted that there was a need to be pragmatic about the collection of the data otherwise acceptance of the process may become an issue.

It was also agreed that the training of, and delivery by, the Role Analysts was crucial to the credibility of the job evaluation process. The quality of the documentation and preparation by the Role Analysts would be important and mechanisms must be put in place to monitor the quality of the process. It was accepted that there would be a need to have appropriate checks and balances in place to ensure that all analysts were operating to the required standards.

Following discussion it was also agree that, at least initially, all role analysis interviews should involve two Role Analysts. This should improve the quality of the evidence gathered and of the data that is recorded.

2.2 Job Description Template.

Following discussion it was agreed that the original job description template should be revisited over the next few days and modified to take account of the issues raised during the training review. It was agreed that the revised job description template should be issued to the College of Physical Sciences , in the first instance, as the College had agreed to be a pilot for the job evaluation exercise. A review of the outcomes of the process in the College should be undertaken before rolling the process out to the rest of the University.

2.3 Project Plan

The Steering Group was advised that there were no significant issues to report as the project was broadly running to plan. It was noted however that the delay in agreeing the final job description template could cause difficulties. It was agreed that the job description template was now a priority and should be progressed as quickly as possible.

2.4 Job Families

The Steering Group received details of a proposed job family structure for the University. Following discussion it was agreed to recommend the structure subject to minor changes. The proposal should now be referred to the trade union consultative committees for consideration.

Clerk's note - At the meeting reservations had been expressed about the designation 'Operational Services' for one of the families. Following the meeting the University Secretary suggested an alternative title of 'Campus Services'. The Support Staff Liaison Committee at its meeting on 17 February 2005 approved the proposed families including the amended title.

REDUCTION IN WORKING HOURS

The Steering Group was advised that the first meeting of the working party established to take forward this issue had taken place. It was noted that the timescale for implementation was tight although work was progressing to identify ways of implementing a 36.5-hour week for support staff by 1 August 2005. The Steering Group was also advised that the Working Party would bring forward proposals to the Group as soon as possible.

AOCB

Communications

The Steering Group noted that the Framework Agreement WEB site was now live and that a communication was due to be issued on 15 February 2005 to advise all staff.

The Steering Group was advised that the first Framework Agreement bulletin was now ready for distribution. Members were asked to provide any feedback on the first bulletin, which was tabled, to the Clerk by 5pm as it was intended that the bulletin would be made available to staff who attend Professor Logan's Framework Agreement road shows that were due to start on 16 February 2005.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Steering Group will take place at 11.00 am on Monday 28 March 2005 in Committee Room 2, University Office.

Minute of the meeting held on 20 January 2005

Present: Professor Stephen Logan (Chair), Mr Alex Arthur, Mr Steve Cannon, Mrs Sheena Grant, Mrs Caroline Inglis, Mr Joe Leiper, Professor Bryan MacGregor, Mrs Diane Massie.

Apologies: Mr George Montgomery

In attendance: Mr Dave Cumming (Clerk), Miss Margaret Main, Mrs Chris McLeod, Mr Scott Styles.

1

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The Minutes of the meeting held on 8 December 2004 (FASG04/4M) were approved subject to minor amendment.

2

MATTERS ARISING

2.1 Communication Strategy

The Steering Group was advised that the WEB site in support of the project should be available for members to view early next week. The WEB address for the site would be forwarded to members as soon as possible and members of the Steering Group would be invited to submit their comments on the site in order that any necessary changes can be made before it goes live at the beginning of February.

A briefing note template has been developed that would be used in the communication of information in support of the project implementation. It is intended that the first briefing note would be issued to coincide with the lunchtime information sessions to be deliver by the Senior Vice Principal in February. The confirmed dates for these meetings are 15 and 18 February in Old Aberdeen and 23 February at Foresterhill. The date for a meeting at Hilton has still to be confirmed. Full details of these session would be issued, by the Communications Office, as soon as possible

The AUT suggested that any bulletins and other information relating to the framework agreement implementation should be posted on staff notice boards across the University. It was agreed that this would be useful and should be investigated further.

2.2 Job Description Template.

The Steering Group was advised that no further feedback had been received following the last meeting of the Group. As a result a final version of the job description template and associated notes for guidance would be prepared. This template would be launched around the same time as the lunchtime information sessions in February 2005.

In support of the collection of the job descriptions for all staff it was agreed that some generic descriptions would be developed for specific categories of staff such a cleaners. The job descriptions would allow some groups of individuals to supplement a pre-prepared job description rather than having to complete the template from scratch.

2.3 Training Update

The Steering Group received an update on training activities and noted that the current round of role analyst training was on track for completion by then end of January in line with the project plan. It was also noted that following training there may be the need to run further training, if any gaps were identified in the number of trained analysts in particular areas.

AUT emphasised the importance of checking the ability of the analysts, as part of the job evaluation process, as this is a critical part of the implementation of the Framework Agreement. The Steering Group was advised that consideration was being given to running a pilot as part of the role out of the job evaluation process. This pilot would allow for consistency checks to be put in place to ensure that all the trained analysts were operating at an appropriate level and that there was common understanding in relation to the application of the HERA system.

2.4 Project Plan

The Steering Group was advised that there was no significant slippage in any area of the project. The Group was advised however that following the first round of analyst training it became clear that the work necessary to create the local interpretations for the implementation of HERA should be pursued once the job analyst training has been completed. This part of the project plan was scheduled to take place during December and would now be re-scheduled for February.

2.5 Job Families

The Steering Group noted that meetings had not yet taken place with the trade unions on this matter due to the Christmas closure. Meetings are now being scheduled and a report will be made to the Group at their next meeting in February.

3

REDUCTION IN WORKING HOURS

The Steering Group accepted the remit of the proposed working group. As the group will be looking at the wider issue of harmonisation as well as the reduction in working hours it was agreed to revise the composition of the group to include one representative from Amicus.

The trade unions present, with members on the working group, advised their representation on the group would be as follows -

Amicus Miss Margaret Main

Unison Mrs Sheena Grant and Mrs Chris McLeod

The clerk will seek a nomination from the T&G.

4

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Steering Group will take place on 14 February 2005 at 12.00 noon, in the Court Room, University Office.

The Steering Group noted the revised schedule of future meetings and in particular the fact that the meeting previously scheduled for 18 April had been re-scheduled for 19 April on account of the Aberdeen Spring Holiday.

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Minute of the meeting held on 8 December 2004

Present: Professor Stephen Logan (Chair), Mr Alex Arthur, Mr Steve Cannon, Mrs Sheena Grant, Mrs Caroline Inglis, Mr Joe Leiper, Professor Bryan MacGregor, Miss Margaret Main (substitute for Mrs Massie), Mr George Montgomery.

Apologies: Mrs Diane Massie

In attendance: Mr Dave Cumming (Clerk), Mrs Evelyn Argo, Mrs Angela Ferguson (for Item 1 only), Mrs Jill Moir (for item 1 only), Mrs Chris McLeod, Mr Scott Styles.

COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

The Convenor proposed that Item 5 on the agenda should be taken first as Jill Moir and Angela Ferguson from Communications had been asked to attend the meeting to provide an oral report for this item. The Steering Group agreed.

A Communication Strategy document was tabled and the Steering Group received an oral report on the Communication Strategy that was being developed. The Steering Group was also able to view a WEB site that was being developed specifically for the Framework Agreement implementation. This site will be hosted by Communications and maintained by HR in consultation with Communications.

Following discussion, the Steering Group agreed that the WEB site should be taken forward. It was suggested that the first page should be kept simple and that no prior knowledge should be assumed when preparing material for the site. It was also suggested that members of the Steering Group should feedback comments on the site in advance of it going live.

It was further agreed that briefing session across the Colleges would be arranged for late January/early February to ensure that there was an opportunity for as wide an awareness and understanding of what the implementation of the Framework Agreement meant. Professor Logan agreed to lead these sessions.

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

MATTERS ARISING

The Steering Group received a draft Job Description template and members were asked to e-mail any suggested amendments to the Clerk by 15 th December 2004, if possible. The Steering Group suggested some minor amendments to the attached guidance notes. It was noted that the intention was for the template to go 'live' in January once the first elements of the Communications Strategy were in place.

3.2 Training Update

The Steering Group received an update on training activities and noted that 21 staff had attended the first training session on the equal opportunities background to job evaluation. A two-day HERA training session had been arranged for HR staff on 6 th and 7 th of January 2005 and a further equal opportunities course was scheduled for 12 th January 2005. A further two-day training course for other potential HERA role analysts was being arranged for late January 2005. The Steering Group was advised that Mr George Orr who recently retired from the role of National Secretary for the Amicus Education Sector, and who had been involved in the JNCHES negotiations throughout, was now a HERA training consultant and the University was seeking to engage his services to deliver some of the HERA training activities.

PROJECT PLAN

The Steering Group received a high-level project plan based on an implementation date of 1 August 2006 and a revised plan based on an implementation date of 1 January 2006. The second plan highlighted those areas of the plan that would have to be revised to achieve an earlier implementation date, if that was deemed to be appropriate or desirable.

The AUT indicated that the implementation date and the time taken to complete the process must be kept separate. It was stated that a rushed implementation would only lead to a large number of personal cases and it was more important to implement correctly rather than quickly. This was a view supported by the other trade union representatives.

Following further discussion it was agreed that the project needed to be undertaken properly, in an efficient and effective way, with a view to implementing change by 1 August 2006. The Group agreed it was important to be kept informed of any opportunities to accelerate the process and of any slippages caused by unexpected occurrences. A request was also made to review the Project Plan to take account of any relevant events that were scheduled on the University calendar.

JOB FAMILIES

Following consideration of two possible options it was agreed that the Job Family approach was the appropriate way forward. It was acknowledged that further work needed to be done on the options and other possibilities should be considered before a final recommendation could be taken forward. It was proposed that some of the allocated trade union facilities time should now be used to allow HR to work in partnership with the trade union representatives to develop the options further and to possibly create other options that could be considered by the Group, in more detail, at its next meeting.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Steering Group would take place on 20 January 2005 at 10.45 am, venue to be advised.

The Steering Group noted the schedule of future meetings and was advised that the meeting due to take place on 18 April 2005 would be re-scheduled, as 18 th April was the Aberdeen Spring Holiday. It was also agreed that an alternative venue should be sought for future meetings, as Committee Room 3 was too small for the numbers attending.

Minute of the meeting held on 3 November 2004

Present: Professor Steve Logan (Chair), Mr Alex Arthur, Mr Steve Cannon, Mrs Sheena Grant, Mrs Caroline Inglis, Mr Joe Leiper, Professor Bryan MacGregor, Mrs Diane Massie, Mr Ronnie Milne.

Apologies: No apologies were received.

In attendance: Mr Dave Cumming (Clerk), Miss Margaret Main, Mrs Chris McLeod

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The Minutes of the meetings held on 17 August 2004 (FASG04/1M) and 11 October 2004 (FASG04/2M) were approved subject to a minor amendment to Section 4 of the minute of 11 October 2004.

MATTERS ARISING

There were no matters arising.

JOB EVALUATION

The Deputy Director of Human Resources gave a short presentation to the group that highlighted the need for a common understanding of the terminology used in Job Evaluation and the main issues that required decisions by the Group.

The Group also considered a paper on Job Evaluation and following an open discussion agreed that the University should investigate the development of Job Families/Role Profiles to support the implementation of job evaluation. Information should be provided to the Group at its next meeting.

The Group also agreed that it would be necessary to have accurate job descriptions to support the introduction of job evaluation and requested that proposals should be brought forward to the next meeting of the Group on how this could be achieved.

It was accepted that the University will need to develop a team of role analysts, drawn from across the University both in terms of category of staff and level of responsibility. Following discussion it was agreed that an initial team of around 30 role analysts should be trained. It was further agreed that the team should comprise staff from Human Resources, trade union representatives and other volunteers/nominees. The Group were asked to submit names of possible role analysts to the Clerk who would arrange to co-ordinate responses. It was noted that the 22 November 2004 was a provisional date for the first training session for role analysts. There therefore was a degree of urgency in notifying the Clerk of the names of possible role analysts.

INTER-INSTITUTIONAL COLLABORATION

The Group endorsed, in principle, the concept of collaborative working with other HE Institutions where there were opportunities to share training and other costs.

COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

The Group agreed that communication was crucial to the successful outcome of the implementation of the Framework Agreement. It was suggested that a sub-group might be established to take forward communication issues.

It was noted that the Communications staff were working on a style for all Framework Agreement communications and would develop and host WEB pages for the duration of the project. Details will be made available to the Group at the meeting on 8 th December 2004.

The Senior Vice-Principal and Human Resources advised that they would be pleased to undertake briefing sessions for all staff and managers throughout the project, as appropriate.

It was agreed that a communication should be issued to all staff to convey the decision to proceed with HERA, once this decision has been formally endorsed by JNCC and SSLC.

The Group also accepted that it would be necessary at the earliest possible opportunity to raise awareness amongst the University's line-managers and it was agreed that this should be taken forward and that a report on progress should be submitted to a future meeting of the Group.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Steering Group will take place at 13.00 on Wednesday 8 December 2004 in Committee Room 3, University Office, King's College

Minute of the meeting held on 11 October 2004

Present: Professor Steve Logan (Chair), Mr Alex Arthur, Mrs Sheena Grant, Mrs Caroline Inglis, Mr Joe Leiper, Professor Bryan MacGregor, Mrs Diane Massie.

Apologies: Mr Steve Cannon, Professor Neva Haites, Mrs Janet Hibbert, Dr Maitland Mackie, Mr George Montgomery, Professor Jim Prosser, Dr Graeme Roberts, Professor Albert Rodger.

In attendance: Mr Dave Cumming (Clerk) (For items 1,2 & 3 below only);

The following individuals were in attendance for Items 3 & 4 below - Miss Emma Barker, Mrs Debbie Dyker, Mrs Moira Falconer, Mr Hamish Leys, Miss Margaret Main, Mrs Chris McLeod, Mr Robert Murray, Mr Brian Patterson, Miss Gwen Smith, Mr Scott Styles, Miss Gillian Tierney, Mrs Joy Wootten, Miss Diane Young

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The Convenor advised the Group that the minutes of the meeting held on 17 August 2004 would be considered at its next meeting on 3 November 2004 as the main purpose of this meeting was to receive presentations from possible job evaluation system suppliers.

MATTERS ARISING

a. REMIT & COMPOSITION -

AUT, at the last JNCC meeting, requested that the composition of the Steering Group be revised to include two trade union representatives from each of the campus trade unions. Following discussion it was agreed to recommend that each trade union could have two members at each meeting, one representative being a full member of the Group and the other being in attendance. As the campus trade unions have nominated members and substitutes it is assumed that these nominees will be the individuals who will normally attend meetings of the Group. Any changes should be advised to the Clerk.

b. DECLARATION OF INTEREST -

Mr Cumming, Clerk to the Group, declared an interest in the selection of a Job Evaluation Supplier, as he is a Director of ECC Ltd. He indicated that he would attend the meeting until both suppliers had given their presentations. He indicated that he would leave the meeting before any discussions takes place and prior to any decision being made.

3

PRESENTATIONS

The Group were reminded that they had agreed to invite members of JNCC, TSLC and SSLC to attend the presentations. The members of these Committees who had indicated their intention to attend were invited to join the meeting prior to the start of the presentations.

1. HERA - 2.20 - 2.50

   Pam Hampshire of ECC Ltd gave a 20 minute presentation on HERA which was followed by 10 minutes of questions and answers. The Handouts distributed on the day are attached to this minute as Appendix 1.

    

2. HAY - 3.00 to 3.30

   Lesley Garrick supported by Stephen McHaffie of the Hay Group gave a 20 minute presentation followed by 10 minutes of questions and answers. The Handouts distributed on the day are attached to this minute as Appendix 2.

REVIEW

The Group received feedback from those present on the two presentations. The Convenor thanked the representatives from the other Committees for attending and advised that the Steering Group would take account of the helpful comments and feedback in reaching a decision.

The Group considered the options and agreed that HERA appeared to offer greater transparency, greater flexibility in terms system implementation and other HR functionality and better control within the Sector than the Hay methodology. Although not a deciding factor, the Group were aware that as an existing member of the HERA Consortium the cost of implementing HERA would be less than that associated with a Hay methodology implementation.

The Group unanimously agreed to recommend HERA as the Job Evaluation system that the University should adopt for all categories of staff.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Steering Group will take place at 9.00 am on Wednesday 3 November 2004 in Committee Room 3, University Office, King's College.

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Minute of the meeting held on 17 August 2004

Present: Professor Steve Logan (Chair), Mr Alex Arthur, Mr Steve Cannon, Mrs Sheena Grant, Mrs Caroline Inglis, Professor Bryan MacGregor, Mrs Diane Massie.

Apologies: Mr Joe Leiper, Mr George Montgomery

In attendance: Mr Dave Cumming (Clerk), Mr Scott Styles

The Convenor welcomed everyone to the first meeting of the group.

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REMIT AND COMPOSITION

It was agreed flexibility will be required over the coming months. As a result the remit and composition of the Group will be kept under review to ensure both remain appropriate as activities develop.

FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT PRESENTATION

The Director and Deputy Director of Human Resources gave a short presentation to the Group detailing the background to the Framework Agreement, indicating the issues to be addressed and outlining a high level project plan. Copies of the powerpoint slides are attached to this minute as FASG04/1 01. During the discussion it was agreed to rename the group from Framework Agreement Implementation Working Group to Framework Agreement Steering Group to more accurately reflect its purpose.

Copies of all the relevant JNCHES documentation were tabled for information and retention for future meetings. Alex Arthur asked if electronic versions of the documentation were available. Dave Cumming advised that the documentation had been received on CD and he would forward electronic copies.

An open discussion took place around the issues raised during the presentation. In particular it was accepted that during its work the Group may have access to confidential information and such information would need to be dealt with sensitively. It was also agreed that a communications strategy should be established to ensure the implementation of the Framework Agreement gets wide circulation within the University. It was suggested that dedicated WEB pages should be established. A member of staff from the communications section may wish to join the Group to assist.

An issue was raised regarding the authority of the trade union representatives to take decisions at meetings of the Group. It was emphasised that the Group is not intended to be a decision making body, its role is to supplement the existing consultative and negotiating committees and to ensure that the agreed activities associated with taking the Framework Agreement forward remain on track.

The trade union representatives from Amicus and UNISON indicated that their Unions were recommending the HERA job evaluation system. It was noted that there are only two job evaluation systems that the University would be considering and it was agreed that the University should set up presentations from Hay and HERA so that a decision on which tool to adopt can be taken by the end of September 2004. Arrangements will be made to organise presentations, during September, that will be open to the Group, members of the Consultative Committees and Human Resources staff.

At this point Dave Cumming declared an interest as he is currently a director of ECC Ltd. the company that is developing the HERA product on behalf of the consortium of 130 UK Universities and HE Institutions.

It was noted that the high-level project plan had indicated areas that should be taken forward in the near future. Following discussion it was agreed to delegate Dave Cumming to take forward the establishment of a team to develop proposals with regard to the implementation of the reduced working week and related harmonisation for support staff (formerly manual workers). A group should also be established at an appropriate time to begin discussions on the possible harmonisation of the terms and conditions, including working hours, for other non-academic staff. It was suggested that AUT might wish to attend meetings of these groups even although their members are not directly affected.

Following discussion it was agreed that there is a need for wider education in relation to the Framework Agreement and its implications. Caroline Inglis indicated that presentations to the Consultative Committees, Heads of College/School and the wider community could be arranged. It was agreed that Human Resources should take this matter forward.

FREQUENCY AND DATES OF FUTURE MEETINGS

It was agreed that initially the Group should meet on a monthly basis with meetings scheduled for late September, October and November. The frequency of meetings thereafter, will be agreed by the Group at a future meeting. Human Resources will make the necessary arrangements and advise members accordingly.

Clerks note - Further meetings arranged as follows:

11 October 2004 - 14.00 to 16.00 in the Court Room : Presentation from JE System providers

3 November 2004 - 9.00 to 10.30 in Committee Room 3

8 December 2004 - 13.00 to 14.30 in Committee Room 3

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