Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Change managementLatest NewsHR practiceHR strategyDownsizing

Unison seeks national plan on staff moves in local authority reorganisation

by Mike Berry 7 Aug 2007
by Mike Berry 7 Aug 2007

A national framework for staff being transferred to new employers is needed to support the government’s planned shake-up of local authorities, the largest public sector union has said.

In July, the government announced the creation of nine new unitary authorities, scrapping 35 smaller councils, with the aim of saving £150m a year.

Unison, which represents about 860,000 local council workers, said the reorganisation would be a “huge undertaking”.

Councils have said the number of likely redundancies will range from a handful at some authorities to a couple of hundred at others. But unions fear these figures are underestimated and want a “clear national framework” of terms and conditions.

However, the Public Sector People Managers’ Association (PPMA) said councils should have the freedom to develop local protocols to deal with the restructuring.

Brendon Hills, head of HR and development at Shropshire County Council, and PPMA lead officer on reorganisation, said: “There will need to be some guidance from central government that takes account of the needs of staff going through transfers. But local authorities need to be able to develop approaches [to transition the arrangements] for themselves.”

These would include HR policies and conditions of service, employee communications and recruitment and retention procedures, Hills added.

GMB off the equal pay hook

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) overturned a ruling last week, sparing the GMB union from facing sex discrimination claims that could have paved the way for tens of thousands of women to claim against their unions.

In June 2006, a tribunal in the GMB v Allen case ruled that female staff at Middlesbrough Borough Council had been poorly represented by the GMB in a pay agreement.

Lawyers had initially estimated the union could have been forced to pay thousands of pounds in compensation to the women.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Audrey Williams, employment law partner at Eversheds law firm, said: “It would be difficult to over-estimate the total cost to the trade union movement had the EAT not overturned the decision.”

More collective deals could now be signed by employers in a bid to solve the local government equal pay crisis.




Mike Berry

previous post
Councils boost numbers of high-flying black and minority ethnic staff
next post
No ban on overseas doctors despite shortage of positions in NHS

You may also like

Scrapping Level 7 apprenticeship funding is a ‘major...

27 May 2025

Higher-level apprenticeship funding to be limited to under-22s

27 May 2025

HS2 labour supplier ‘falsely’ declared PAYE to inflate...

27 May 2025

Volvo to cut around 3,000 roles in restructure

27 May 2025

Jobs market shows cautious optimism as vacancies increase

27 May 2025

Number of Neet women rises but figures fall...

23 May 2025

Bank holidays: six things employers need to know

23 May 2025

Unions ponder strike action after public sector pay...

23 May 2025

Personnel Today Awards 2025: Three weeks left to...

23 May 2025

Sighing in frustration at colleague was discriminatory, judge...

23 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+