Agenda, decisions and minutes

The agenda and reports associated with this minute can be found here.

Please note that if any changes are made to this minute at the point of approval, these will be outlined in the subsequent minute and this document will not be retrospectively altered.

The Convener welcomed everyone to the meeting and advised that this was the last meeting of the Staff Governance Committee that Sid Sandison, SSTA representative would be attending prior to his retirement.  The Convener advised that Thomas Whyte would attend future meetings, thanked Mr Sandison for his contributions and wished him well for his retirement.

The Committee resolved:-

to concur with the remarks of the Convener.

Members were requested to intimate any declarations of interest in respect of the items on today’s agenda, thereafter, the following declarations of interest were intimated at this stage in the meeting:-:

(i)         The Convener and Councillor Macdonald declared an interest in all items on the agenda by virtue of their membership of Unite the Union but neither felt it necessary to leave during consideration of any items of business.

The Committee had before it the minute of its previous meeting of 4 May 2018.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the minute as a correct record.

The Committee had before it the committee business planner as prepared by the Chief Officer – Governance.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)        to note that items 5 (Directorate Health and Safety Improvement Plan Annual Report) and 9 (Corporate Health and Safety Improvement Plan Annual Report) would be presented at the September meeting following a report to CMT on health and safety arrangements;

(ii)       to note that item 15 (Supporting Attendance and Wellbeing Policy) would be reported to Committee in September and would not be held until the Chief Officer – People and Organisation was in post;

(iii)      to agree to remove item 21 (Development of Models for Civic Leadership and Engagement);

(iv)      to agree to remove items 4 (Review of the Managing Substance Misuse at Work Policy), 6 (Corporate Health and Safety Annual Report 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018), 7 (Health and Safety Quarterly Report – January to March 2018), 8 (Transgender Employment Provision and Proposed Mental Health Action Plan), 11 (Occupational Health Quarterly Report) and 12 (Occupational Health Annual Report) subject to the decisions to be taken later on today’s agenda; and

(v)       to otherwise note the planner.

TThe Committee had before it a report by the Director of Resources which set out two matters raised by Unison, in terms of 1.3 of the Staff Governance Committee Terms of Reference, namely:-

(1)       In respect of the employment provisions the Council had in place in respect of transgender employees; and

(2)       In respect of a request for the Council to compile an action plan in relation to mental health and employment, based on robust evidence-based data.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       notes the employment provisions in place in the Council relating to transgender employees; and

(b)       notes the request to produce a mental health action plan based on robust evidence-based data and instructs the Interim Chief Officer, People and Organisation to gather relevant data and present this to the meeting of the Staff Governance Committee on 1 November 2018 together with any necessary action plan. 

The Committee resolved:-

(i)        to request that officers discuss with the Organisational Development team how courses offered via the Zone could be promoted to teaching staff who might not access the Zone and would instead use Abernet to undertake professional development; and

(ii)       to otherwise approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 6 of the minute of its previous meeting, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Resources which sought  approval for a revised Managing Substance Misuse policy.  The report advised that the matter had been deferred from the meeting of the Committee of 4 May 2018, to enable further consultation with the trades unions to take place. The further consultation resulted in certain changes being made to the policy document to take account of the views of the trades unions. 

The report recommended:-

that Committee approve the revised Managing Substance Misuse Policy.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)        to request that officers also look to communicate the revised policy to teaching staff via Abernet and through Toolbox Talks to staff in Operations;

(ii)       to note that guidance notes would be prepared to sit alongside the policy and to request that officers include in these that managers take steps to record declarations in respect of prescribed medication;

(iii)      to note that a summary of changes sheet would be issued alongside the communication in respect of the revised policy and to request that officers send this to the Trade Unions ahead of wider release; and

(iv)      to approve the recommendation.

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer – Governance which provided a summary of statistical health and safety performance information for the reporting period January to March 2018 to enable the Committee to monitor compliance with health and safety legislation.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       review, discuss and comment on the issues raised within this report; and

(b)       scrutinise and review health, safety and wellbeing policy, performance, trends and improvements.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer – Governance which provided a summary of statistical health and safety performance information for the reporting period 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018 to enable the Committee to monitor compliance with health and safety legislation.

The report recommended:-

that Committee review, discuss and comment on the issues raised within this report.

The Committee resolved:-

to note the issues contained in the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer – Governance which provided an update on the utilisation of the Occupation Health Service contract provided by OH Assist during the 3 month period January 2018 to March 2018.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       consider the contents of the report; and

(b)       instruct the Chief Officer – Governance to share the information with Functions, request that actions are taken to support individuals and address trends (usage and root causes) as detailed in the report.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer – Governance which provided an update on the utilisation of the Occupational Health Service contract provided by OH Assist during the last 12 month period of April 2017 to March 2018.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       considers the contents of the report; and

(b)       instructs the Chief Officer - Governance to share the information with Functions, request that actions are taken to support individuals and address trends (usage and root causes) as detailed in the report.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

-     COUNCILLOR YVONNE ALLAN, Convener