All service groups report to Scottish Council in February, April and December each year. This is the most recent report.

SCOTTISH HEALTH COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE SCOTTISH COUNCIL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 16 APRIL 2011

The December 2010 Scottish Health Committee had debated the 'Living Wage' policy and received a presentation from the Living Wage Campaign.

A UNISON paper was presented to the February 2011 Scottish Partnership Forum and the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland employers agreed to implement a Living Wage in 2011/12 across NHS Scotland.

The mechanism for this will be to delete from use the bottom point of Band 1.

Assuming a £250 increase, this would see a starting rate of £7.29 per hour in NHS Scotland. SGHD estimates it will benefit 4,500 at an annual cost of £2million on the pay bill.

A UK pay settlement through the Pay Review Body mechanism is due on 1 April 2011. UNISON Scotland has fed in to the evidence process. The evidence of the Scottish Government and NHS employers is only to support a pay rise of £250 for those earning under £21k per annum.

Other agreements reached on: Designation of an extra Public Holiday on 29 April 2011 for the Royal Wedding (those rostered to work will receive Public Holiday enhancements).

Payment during annual leave for bank and casual staff.

Scottish negotiations are on-going on a replacement national agreement for On-call payments across NHS Scotland. (An extension to 31 March has been granted to allow these complex negotiations to conclude. Local payments remain in place until then).

Other Scottish items under current negotiation include: further guidance on Stringer; notice periods; telephone expenses; relocation expenses.

The Scottish Job Evaluation Monitoring Group has concluded its report to the Cabinet Secretary on the conduct and implementation of the Agenda for Change Job Evaluation Scheme across NHS Scotland.

Nottingham University Professors Nicolas Bacon and Peter Samuel have published an interim study of the 'partnership' model on industrial relations in NHS Scotland. It concludes that the structure of partnership in NHS Scotland reflects a key lesson from negotiation theory.

Separating broad-ranging discussions over strategic issues from detailed discussions over specific workforce policies and issues help negotiators to agree on the best way forward. This creates a positive climate in partnership meetings where all sides listen to each others concerns and work together to develop the detailed policies required to improve services.

It describes the Scottish model as: "arguably the most ambitious and comprehensive labour-management partnership so far attempted in the UK public sector".

Financial year 2010/11 has been challenging for branches. UNISON has secured continued Ministerial support for no compulsory redundancies and our collective agreement on Organisational Change. Branches, through local partnership mechanisms, pursue a tough agenda around: vacancy management; workload; skill mix; redeployment; service redesign; voluntary severance.

At national level, UNISON is fully engaged in the Ministerial Scrutiny Panel on Workforce matters. Prospects look bleak for 2011/12 - being the most difficult financial year ever since Devolution, despite the commitments to pass on the Barnett consequential of any NHS expenditure 'growth' at UK level. Branches are fully engaged in financial and service planning for the year 2011/12.

Revisions to a number of model NHS Scotland employment policies are out for consultation including: Facility Time; Secondment; Fixed Term Contracts. Recruitment in January/February in 2011 has been slow compared to 2010 and 2009 (1,067, 945 and 809 respectively).

A very successful Delegate Conference for Ancillary Staffs was held on 2 March 2011.

Tom Waterson Chair, John Gallacher Secretary March 2011