Thursday 16 July 2015

Latest From Napo 67

The following published yesterday can be found on the Napo website:-

Napo meets with the new Secretary of State - Sodexo issues are top of the agenda


General Secretary Ian Lawrence and National Co-Chair Chris Winters formed part of a Napo/UNISON/GMB delegation who met with the Secretary of State for Justice Michael Gove and Prisons and Rehabilitation Under-Secretary Andrew Selous, yesterday.

A fuller report of the key issues that were discussed will follow in due course and Family Court Members can be assured that we will be seeking an early meeting with the Justice Minister Caroline Dineage at the earliest opportunity.

The Sodexo EVR and Job cuts disputes

As members would expect, Napo adopted a robust position on the current disputes within the Sodexo owned CRCs and provided a comprehensive briefing to the Ministers about the intention of the contractor to make 600 staff redundant and to seek to vary a National Agreement and override established collective bargaining machinery that had been underwritten by Mr Gove's predecessor.

This contractor is seeking to move away from a nationally agreed, and funded scheme for enhanced voluntary redundancy (EVR). As members will be aware a Modernisation Fund was shared out amongst the CRC contractors following the share sale to facilitate future staff reductions.

It has been extraordinarily difficult to convince this contractor of their obligations to recognise the national collective bargaining agreements that were carried across on share sale and Napo and our sister unions are seriously concerned at the damage that may be caused by Sodexo and their (in our opinion) totally unjustifiable programme of 600 job cuts.

Their actions to effectively undercut the EVR scheme payments formula by more than half without formal negotiations and the unions having an opportunity to consult with our members is a serious matter that undermines the authority of the Secretary of States guarantees within the National Staff Transfer and Protections Agreement.

The unions believe that this company, who posted massive operating profits earlier this year should honour the expectation of staff who, through no fault of their own, face the employment scrapheap at the same time as Sodexo revealed to us they are seeking a variation of the contract with the MoJ on the basis that they have not received the IT support that they were expecting.

NOMS Chief Executive Michael Spurr has been supportive of our view that full EVR terms should be payable as was the case for staff who have already left the service, and at yesterday's meeting with Michael Gove the unions asked for a firm line from NOMS Contract Management to re-affirm the requirement to use this fund for the purpose for which it was intended. We also asked the Minister to consider calling the parties in to see him personally.

The Minister has agreed to consider our representations.

Unions issue position statement

Meanwhile the attached response (click here) has been sent to Sodexo and copied to the Chief Executives of the CRCs as well as the MoJ Ministers. Members may find this useful when they attend the staff briefings that are due to be held tomorrow.

An important meeting of union representatives from the six Sodexo CRCs will take place on Friday and, as can be seen from the unions’ letter, further meetings are scheduled with Sodexo next Monday.

More news will be issued at the earliest opportunity.

IAN LAWRENCE 
General Secretary

CHRIS WINTERS & YVONNE PATTISON
National Co-Chairs

---oo00oo--

HARBHAJAN SINGH BRAR
HR Director
Sodexo Justice Services & Central Functions
Sodexo
One Southampton Row
London WC1B 5HA

(By e-mail)

15 July 2015 

Dear Harbhajan,

SODEXO JOB CUTS AND EVR

You previously asked the unions to respond to you on the above by 15th July.

We are now in receipt of an invitation from you via the NNC Joint Secretaries to meet next Monday prior to the presentation of the intended Target Operating Model that we understand is the driver for the substantial staff reduction programme that you intend to announce tomorrow across the six Sodexo owned CRCs. We acknowledge that your communication will make it clear that this does not preclude further discussion with the trade unions.

Now that we have at last been able to establish (by way of the recent Joint Secretaries determinations) that formal discussions about these issues can only take place within the established national collective bargaining arrangements, we confirm our attendance on Monday. We expect to be able to provide feedback from the joint meeting of Napo/UNISON and GMB representatives taking place this Friday.

Issues at large

You are already aware from our informal discussions, that the probation unions believe that the content of your proposal to offer a variation of the Enhanced Voluntary Redundancy scheme (EVR) is outside of the formula previously underwritten by the Secretary of State and enshrined in the National Agreement on Staff Transfer and Protections (NASTP) and published prior to share sale. It is one that we are not prepared to accept on behalf of our members, until we have been party to substantive and centrally conducted negotiations under the auspices of the NNC and SCCOG, and have had an opportunity to consult with our constituent members.

The unions find the thinly veiled threat to withdraw the EVR scheme (or alternatively that Sodexo will decide to move to compulsory redundancies in September) to be serious acts of bad faith, which would irreparably damage industrial relations between us and which may have consequences in terms of us seeking the views of our wider membership beyond those situated within the Sodexo owned CRCs.

We must also reject the notion that that the delay in releasing information to staff is the fault of the trade unions, especially given the fact that the intention to make 600 job cuts across your contract package areas was announced last Easter without any notice to us whatsoever, and that the presentation of the Target Operating Model which will obviously impact on our wider views about your plans is only taking place next week.

Our approach up to now has been to urge the company to recognise that negotiations on national terms and conditions have to take place on a national basis. We appreciate that you believe this is a hindrance to the business, but we also face problems that we have to live with, namely the outsourcing of thousands of our member’s jobs across the probation service and the potential impact on their terms and conditions and their future employment status.

You should also know that these issues, and the company’s refusal to honour the full terms of EVR, took up the best part of our meeting with Michael Gove the Secretary of State for Justice yesterday. We have also furnished him with copies of the documentation that has featured in the previous discussions between us concerning the NASTP and your interpretation of the obligations under the contract between yourselves and the Secretary of State. We have also advised you that the trade unions request for access to the commercial contract was denied to us despite numerous FoI Act requests. This would have at least afforded us an earlier opportunity to discuss this clear gap in our respective understanding.

Unanswered questions

Despite our request to have some prior indication of the information that you intend to issue to staff within the six CRC’s under your ownership, you have decided to present the job cuts position and intended EVR scheme tomorrow. We have previously explained that we do not have the mandate to accept these terms which in our view jeopardise the above national agreement. Moreover, we have consistently stated that we do not believe that your intended staff reduction programme is justified and that we have serious concerns about its potential impact on public safety.

Meanwhile, as an indication of the complex landscape that we are in, here is a summary of some of the most regularly asked questions that have reached us from members within the last few days. Whilst you consider how you might wish to respond to them, we hope you will agree that the subject matter demonstrates how it imperative it is that that urgent negotiations should take place with the unions where these and other key pieces of information can be discussed with a view to reaching an agreement.

• Why are Sodexo saying they don't have to comply with the National Agreement - i.e. 4.5 weeks’ pay per years served? 

• What is the MoJ doing about this? Might they cover any shortfall in EVR payments? 

• How are the government holding Sodexo to account? 

• Why can't members know which posts are at risk before they contemplate applying for EVR 

• How will I find out if my post is at risk? 

• What will the advice to members be when the consultation starts on what discussion they should enter into about their personal VR package? 

• What is going on with estates? Why have my CRC not yet identified buildings to support the proposed Target Operating Model and should my future location not be a major factor in making a decision on whether or not to apply for an EVR? 

• Why has the ‘hub’ building contract not been signed yet? *(This has caused members to speculate that Sodexo are delaying as they might pull out of the CRC contract) 

• Will all this delay mean that they'll just make us compulsorily redundant? Are they delaying on purpose to get us closer to the September date? 

• Why are Sodexo being allowed to dictate the time we are allowed to respond/consult with members? 

• What is the current position in regards to TUPE and the proposed shared service centre transfers? Should I not know all the facts about the potential EVR package before I accept or reject an offer to relocate to Salford? 

• What is happening with the IT bridging solution? Has it totally fallen apart? Will this change things? 

• Is it true that Sodexo are refusing to pay full EVR but at the same time are asking for more money from the MoJ over IT failures?

• I have seen a job advert posted by a Sodexo CRC at £25 per hour when there are redundancies being announced. What’s going on?

• I'm aged over 55, (or fast approaching 55), are Sodexo entirely clear as to the terms of the release of pension deal they are offering, and how long for?"

In the interest of transparency we are copying this letter to the NNC Employers’ side Joint Secretary, all Chief Executives in the Sodexo owned CRCs and making it available to our respective members.

We look forward to your reply and our meetings next week.

Yours sincerely,

IAN LAWRENCE 
BEN PRIESTLEY DAVID WALTON 

General Secretary National Officer National Secretary 
Napo UNISON GMB/SCOOP

21 comments:

  1. sorry for repeating what I have just added to the previous blog...

    If this new law against striking is passed, and thousands of workers walk out, supported by those unemployed who are desperate for work, and sympathisers who are disgusted by such an immoral , inhumane decision, which is against human rights to respond, what can the govt do to punish such huge numbers. - sack(if they are working)?, stop benefits if they are not? , fine?, imprison?, or put on Probation?.....

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  2. Waiting with bated breath...apparently mass email at exactly 12pm...more to follow no doubt.

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  3. Interesting to see another post from IL today which - albeit obliquely - references comments on this blog yesterday about the Gove letter...

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    1. Transparency on the Check Off extension

      As you will have seen from a previous posting, Napo has been granted three extra months to make the changes to our database to enable us to cope with the ending of deduction of union dues at source to new system whereby individual members (in the NPS initially) will be asked to sign over to Direct Debit. Your National Executive Committee (NEC) who met this week agreed with me that whilst it was positive news, it was not an excuse to ease up on our quest to convince members of the importance of making the switchover as soon as possible. We have issued regular bulletins and guidance for members on how this can easily be done, and we will have online facilities available sometime over the summer as we work at full speed with our technical advisers.

      As for the Ministers decision, it's worth remembering that unlike the other unions within the MoJ/NOMS we have unique difficulties in making this change which poses significant threats to our cashflow (that’s part of the plot by those in the Tory party who see this as another way to try and put us out of business). In addition, Napo are required by our Constitution to take any changes to our subscription rates to our AGM in October and the Officers reported to the NEC on some work that is being undertaken to see how we might be able to make our subs more competitive in the future. Whilst we intend to publish more news about this as soon as we can, it also needs to be recognised that we have not operated direct debit facilities in the way that we will need to in the future, and that it has cost us a considerable amount of money to make the change.

      I am never one to get ahead of myself about a good result, but nobody else secured an extension to the cessation of ‘check off’ despite all their efforts, and Gove has had to convince the Cabinet Office that Napo were a special case. The section in his letter about Napo ‘engaging in negotiations’ is merely a statement of the obvious; it’s what your Officials and Officers do every day on a massive range of issues covering all of our members. I very much doubt we would have got the same result from the Secretary of State’s predecessor.

      Napo will need all our members to work together to face this major challenge to our finances and operational capacity and I hope you will do all that you can to support the switchover campaign. If you think you can help within your Branch please contact Chas Berry National Vice-Chair (cberry@napo.org.uk).

      More news next week.

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  4. "Napo adopted a robust position on the current disputes within the Sodexo owned CRCs ". The same position as usual, I trust - bent over, grabbing their ankles!

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  5. Dear all,

    In my letter dated 3 July 2015 I outlined that Sodexo had referred their proposed voluntary severance package to the NNC Employer’s Side Joint Secretary and that details of it would be formally released to CRC employees today, Thursday 16 July 2015.

    While discussions with the recognised trade unions remain ongoing, we are committed to sharing this information with you today as promised, in order that you can consider the proposal and make an informed decision about what is right for you. If, as a result of the discussions with the trade unions the details of the voluntary severance package change in any way, I will of course let you know as soon as possible.

    I would also like to take this opportunity to share our required staffing numbers with you.

    Voluntary Severance Package

    If you would like to apply, the voluntary severance offer comprises of the following:

    * Two weeks’ actual pay for each year of completed service, up to a maximum of 30 weeks

    * If you are in an age group that qualifies for early retirement (individuals between the ages of 55-64) you will have the option of either taking the full voluntary severance as a lump sum, or you can take early retirement. Early retirement will enable you to access your (unreduced) pension with immediate effect.


    For most people between 55 and 64 the early retirement option will be worth more than the full voluntary severance package, however in some cases it may be less. If it is less you will receive a payment to make up the difference.

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  6. Please note, this severance payment will include any entitlement to a statutory redundancy payment and the early retirement variant offer does not include any added years. The voluntary severance package is subject to you entering into a legally binding settlement agreement with the CRC.

    Proposed Numbers

    I know that many of you will be eager to know what our proposed staffing numbers are. In Cumbria and Lancashire CRC we anticipate that we will need to reach a staffing level of 225.6 FTE to deliver the new operating model. The details of the new proposed staffing numbers are attached as an appendix and are subject to consultation.

    It is our hope that we will be able to achieve the proposed staffing reduction through this voluntary severance process. However, if this does not prove to be possible we may need to consider reducing our headcount through alternative means, which could include a compulsory redundancy process. In order to plan for this we will recommence with Corporate Services Staff and commence with all other staff the process of formal consultation, which includes those who may be affected by a possible TUPE transfer.

    Applications for this voluntary severance package will be considered on a case-by-case basis in line with our local criteria. An application for this offer does not guarantee that it will be accepted; however we hope to be able to accommodate as many applications as possible.

    The decision whether or not to apply for this voluntary severance package is a personal choice. However, we have produced some supporting materials to help inform your decision. You will find a question and answer document attached to this letter, which employees across all six Sodexo-owned CRCs will also be receiving plus the Expression of Interest Form. We hope that it will address some of the questions you may have about this offer and what it means for you.

    I would also encourage you to speak with your local HR contact, trade union representative, or me directly if you have any further questions or concerns that are not addressed through this document and we will endeavour to provide you with an answer at the earliest opportunity.

    Should you have any further questions about our proposed staffing numbers or our voluntary severance package then please feel free to send in your questions to CL_Askthechief. We will be accepting applications for this voluntary severance package from Monday 20 July 2015 until 12 noon on Monday 10 August 2015.

    Our business is undergoing significant changes and this is undoubtedly a difficult and challenging time. I want to reassure you that we are committed to providing you with all the information you need to make the best decision for your personal circumstances and will be providing you with further details of the support available to you if you decide to apply for this process.

    Kind regards

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  7. It's not a legitimate route to offload staff via early retirement. It contradicts the anomalous and contentious payments rules wake up Napo. Managers have had both payments rightly so as they lose their jobs and status.

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  8. well we clearly knew this earlier as it was posted on here despite IL spouting about 'speculation'. Sodexo are living in cloud cuckoo land. There aren't even that many over 55's left, they have mostly already left on a better EVR package. Apart from middle and senior managers I don't know more than a handful of PO/PSO grade in my CRC over 55 and wanting to go. Lets face it there wont be a rush from the under 55's. About NAPO started playing hard ball! Didn't see the staff made redundant from a Sodexo prison getting such pathetic terms, The POA didn't mess about though.

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    1. What did the poa do ? How can we stop Napo and the Gs wiping sodexo bottom in their love in and clearly failed to listen talks.

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    2. POA did absolutely nothing. Sodexo went in with their cheque book too quickly and seem to have learnt from their mistakes.

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  9. I note that MP's ARE getting a 10% pay rise as announced this morning whilst Probation staff get offered less than 50% of the nationally agreed/negotiated severance package when their careers are to be ended. Sickening!!

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  10. STAFFING NUMBERS AND VOLUNTARY EXIT QA


    HOW HAVE YOU REACHED THESE NUMBERS?

    The proposed staffing numbers, which are still subject to the outcome of the consultation process, have been developed after an extensive due diligence process in which business needs, local issues and the requirements of the operating model were thoroughly assessed. They have been developed in consultation with Sodexo, the Chief Executive Officers of all six CRCs and their senior management teams.


    WHEN WILL THE NEW STAFFING NUMBERS BE IN PLACE?

    We expect to be operating with our new staffing numbers by the end of April / early May 2016. We anticipate that any staff exiting the business as a result of our proposals will do so as part of a phased approach, taking into account the needs of the individual, the CRC and the operational requirement to retain staff as a result of the delay to the secure partner gateway that NOMS has been developing.


    In a recent statement NOMS explained:

    “This solution will be available later than originally planned due to extra work required on technical data exchange requirements and design changes as a result of additional business processes that have been identified that need to be supported.

    “However, to enable CRCs to continue with their plans to move off MoJ ICT infrastructure and services, MoJ and NOMS are working with contractors to connect to an interim technical "bridging" solution to be available this summer. This will enable CRCs to use a secure, alternative technical way to sign on to, and update, MoJ applications (National Delius and OASys) using their own systems until the SPG is available.”


    ARE THE STAFFING NUMBERS THE SAME ACROSS ALL CRCS?

    No. The proposed reductions to the workforce within each CRC differ as some already have staffing numbers more closely aligned to the future operating model than others. The emphasis on resourcing frontline services remains a consistent priority across all six CRCs.


    WILL THE STAFFING NUMBERS REMAIN THE SAME THROUGHOUT THE LIFE OF THE CONTRACT?

    No. As a business, it is important that our staffing numbers remain flexible to meet the needs of the business and the volume of work. Staffing levels will be assessed throughout the contract to ensure that we have the right number of staff in the right positions for the most effective delivery of services.


    HOW WILL THESE NUMBERS AFFECT THE SERVICE THAT WE’RE ABLE TO OFFER OFFENDERS/SERVICE USERS?

    Reducing reoffending is at the heart of the operating model and we are committed to providing the best possible service to service users. The proposed staffing numbers reflect a commitment to support frontline services across the six Sodexo-owned CRCs. Sodexo’s additional investment in more efficient technology will also enable staff to spend more time directly supporting service users throughout their rehabilitation.

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    1. HOW WILL SERVICES LIKE TTG BE AFFECTED BY THESE PROPOSED STAFFING CHANGES?

      Services such as Through The Gate (TTG) are a key aspect of the operating model and are a critical government requirement. Our frontline staff will work with our partners from across the public and voluntary sectors to deliver a seamless service to our users. This collaboration will enable service users to access a wider range of services and support to assist their rehabilitation.


      MY ROLE ISN’T SPECIFICALLY HIGHLIGHTED IN THE STAFFING FIGURES. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

      Please talk to either Sue Hall, Sargon Sait, Phil O’Donnell.


      WILL OUR PAY BE AFFECTED BY THESE CHANGES?

      The contractual terms and conditions that apply to your role will be unchanged. This includes pay, contractual hours, holiday entitlement, continuous service and sick pay.


      WILL OUR HR SUPPORT BE AFFECTED BY THESE CHANGES?

      While there will be a significant reduction in the number of HR professionals based locally at the CRCs, all employees will benefit from full access to Sodexo’s PeopleCentre. The PeopleCentre is staffed by more than 60 experienced HR professionals who will be able to assist you with any HR queries or concerns you may have. While this is undoubtedly a new way of accessing HR support, we do not expect a reduction in the overall HR service that employees will receive.

      In order to support the transition, the PeopleCentre will be a running a series of briefing days for managers to explain how to access the services of the PeopleCentre, as well as outlining the support that their local HR teams will be able to provide during transition. Details of these training sessions will be circulated in due course.


      WILL YOU BE OFFERING SUPPORT FOR STAFF LEAVING THE ORGANISATION? HOW WILL THIS SUPPORT BE DELIVERED?

      Sodexo will be funding support services to assist employees across all six CRCs. This support will be accessed at a local level and will include a range of services such as tools to help employees re-entering the jobs market. Full details about the support services available will be provided to staff whose applications for voluntary exit have been accepted.

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    2. VOLUNTARY SEVERANCE PACKAGE


      ARE YOU OFFERING STAFF A VOLUNTARY SEVERANCE PACKAGE? WHAT IS IT?

      Yes. The voluntary severance offer comprises of the following:

      * Two weeks’ actual pay for each year of completed service, up to a maximum of 30 weeks; and


      * If you are in an age group that qualifies for early retirement (individuals between the ages of 55-64) you will have the option of either taking the payment set out above as a lump sum, or you can take early retirement. Early retirement will enable you to access your (unreduced) pension with immediate effect. Unreduced does not mean the benefits that you would have received at your normal retirement age, it just means that there is no reduction for early payment.


      For most people between 55 and 64 the early retirement option will be worth more than the full voluntary severance package, however in some cases it may be less. If it is less you will receive a payment to make up the difference.


      The examples below help to explain this further:


      Example 1

      Jack works full time, is 58 years old, and has 16 years of service. With a salary of £27,373, the voluntary severance offer would be worth £15,792 (30 weeks’ pay at £526 per week). The cost that the pension fund would charge to allow an unreduced pension could be £27,000 which is higher than the voluntary severance offer.


      Example 2

      Jill works full time, is 61 years old, and has 25 years of service. With a salary of £27,373, the voluntary severance offer would be worth £15,792 (30 weeks’ pay at £526 per week). The cost that the pension fund would charge to allow an unreduced pension would be £4,792 which is lower than the standard offer. This employee could take the early retirement and receive a payment of £11,000.


      These examples are indicative and the actual cost of the pension strain depends on multiple factors including salary, length of service, age, any part-time service, and pay profile throughout an employees’ career. The calculation for pension strain will be carried out by the Pension Fund. As a general rule the cost of the pension strain will be highest at age 55 and will drop to a much lower value at 64.


      Please note, this severance payment will include any entitlement that you might have to receive a statutory redundancy pay and the early retirement variant offer does not include any added years. The terms of the voluntary severance package are strictly subject to you entering into a legally binding settlement agreement with the CRC.

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    3. You will need to apply for the above voluntary severance package if this is something you are interested in and the decision as to which applications will be accepted will be made on a case-by-case basis by the CRC against our local criteria.


      We have made the decision to communicate the terms of the voluntary severance package to you at this time as a result of the significant number of requests we have received. We are still in discussions with the unions over the voluntary severance package and if any changes are made as a result of these discussions we will communicate them to you as soon as possible.


      WILL YOU BE OFFERING EVR TERMS?

      No. We will be offering staff a revised voluntary severance package.


      WHY AREN’T YOU OFFERING THE EVR TERMS?

      Sodexo bid for six CRC contracts on the understanding that the EVR terms would be subject to negotiation with the relevant employee representatives following the sale. The Sodexo bid and proposed future operating model has been developed on this basis.

      The cost of the EVR terms is extremely high and if a voluntary redundancy scheme was offered to staff on the EVR terms, the business would be severely limited in the number of applications it could accept. In some CRCs it is possible that no applications at all would be accepted. As a result the CRC would be forced to reach the proposed staffing reductions through a compulsory redundancy process. This is something that we wanted to avoid as far as possible.

      Sodexo has therefore developed an alternative voluntary severance package.


      WHY WASN’T THE COST OF THE CURRENT EVR TERMS FACTORED INTO THE BID?

      There was a requirement for all bidders to submit competitive bids in accordance with the Government’s commitment to reduce operating costs by approximately 30 per cent. Sodexo bid for six CRC contracts on the understanding that the EVR terms would be subject to negotiation with the relevant employee representatives following the sale. The Sodexo bid and proposed future operating model has been developed on this basis.


      OUR CRC HAS A REDUNDANCY POLICY IN PLACE. IS THE VOLUNTARY SEVERANCE PACKAGE IMPACTED BY THAT LOCAL POLICY?

      No. The voluntary severance package is being offered on the same terms across all six Sodexo-owned CRCs to ensure consistency of treatment. As such it does not take into account any locally agreed redundancy policies. The voluntary severance package is entirely separate.


      WILL YOU BE MAKING PEOPLE COMPULSORILY REDUNDANT?

      Our preference is to avoid compulsory redundancy wherever possible and this is why we are offering the voluntary severance package. We hope to reach our proposed staffing levels by seeking volunteers to exit the business by mutual agreement.

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    4. If it is not possible to reach the proposed reduction in staffing levels through this voluntary approach, we may need to consider alternative arrangements, and this is likely to include compulsory redundancy. If that is necessary we will communicate the details of the compulsory redundancy terms to you at the earliest opportunity however the terms on offer will not be those offered as part of the voluntary severance package. Any staff leaving the business through compulsory redundancy would do so as part of a phased approach and not before 1 September 2015 as per the terms and conditions of the National Agreement.


      WHY ARE THE PROPOSED REDUCTIONS FOCUSED ON SUPPORT FUNCTIONS?

      Reducing reoffending and providing front line support to service users is central to the operating model and our proposed staffing numbers have been developed to enable this as far as possible.


      We are confident that we can maintain a strong and efficient support service to employees by providing all CRC staff with access to a number of centralised Sodexo facilities, such as the PeopleCentre, which looks after HR, and Business Shared Services (BSS), which looks after Finance arrangements. The new IT solutions will also help to deliver greater efficiencies.


      IF I APPLY FOR THE VOLUNTARY SEVERANCE PACKAGE WILL I BE ACCEPTED?

      Not necessarily. While we hope to accept as many applications as possible all applications for voluntary severance will be assessed on a case-by-case basis against our published criteria. This is in accordance with our local policies and procedures.

      We have the absolute discretion to refuse any application.


      HOW DO I APPLY FOR VOLUNTARY EXIT?


      You will need to complete a simple form which is attached at Annex A and send this to the HR inbox.


      IS THIS JUST A COST SAVING EXERCISE?

      No. Transforming Rehabilitation is about reducing reoffending and supporting individuals to reintegrate into society. In order to do this we have had to resource our Through The Gate Services as well as heavily invest in new IT systems. Ensuring that costs and operational activities are managed efficiently is an important aspect of that, but they are not the primary goal of the programme.


      HOW ARE YOU CONSULTING WITH THE RECOGNISED TRADE UNIONS ON THE PROPOSED STAFFING NUMBERS AND VOLUNTARY SEVERANCE PACKAGE?

      We are consulting with the unions in accordance with best practice.

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    5. Sodexo presented the voluntary severance offer to the national unions on our behalf on 5 June 2015 and we continue to work with them.


      OUR UNIONS ARE SAYING THAT WE SHOULD NOT ENGAGE WITH THIS OFFER AND THAT IT IS A BREACH OF OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT. WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

      It is your personal decision whether or not to apply for this voluntary severance package. You are free to choose what is in your own best interest.

      We do not consider the voluntary severance package to be a breach of any of your terms and conditions.


      IS THE VOLUNTARY SEVERANCE SCHEME OPEN TO EVERYONE?

      Yes

      I AM ON MATERNITY LEAVE. CAN I APPLY FOR VOLUNTARY SEVERANCE?

      Yes

      I AM OFF SICK. CAN I APPLY FOR VOLUNTARY SEVERANCE?

      Yes]

      I WORK PART-TIME. CAN I APPLY FOR VOLUNTARY SEVERANCE?

      Yes.

      CAN I APPLY FOR VOLUNTARY SEVERANCE IF I AM SUBJECT TO A TUPE TRANSFER?

      Yes. This offer is being made to all staff who are currently employed within our CRC

      IS VOLUNTARY SEVERANCE COMPENSATION SUBJECT TO TAX?

      We anticipate that the first £30,000 of your voluntary severance compensation can be paid tax free, subject to there being no previous in-year tax free payments.

      WHEN WILL I BE ABLE TO TAKE MY VOLUNTARY SEVERANCE PACKAGE IF MY APPLICATION IS ACCEPTED?

      Our CEO will make these decisions on a case-by-case basis.

      WHAT IF I CHANGE MY MIND AFTER I HAVE EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN VOLUNTARY SEVERANCE

      It is entirely your decision whether or not you choose to apply for voluntary severance. Applications can be submitted from Monday 20 July until 12 noon on Monday 10 August.

      WHO CAN I CONTACT FOR MORE SUPPORT/INFORMATION?

      You Can Ask The Question Via The Mail Box (Cl_Askthechief).

      You Can Have A Discussion With Your Line Manager

      You Can Contact Sue Hall, Sargon Sait, Phil O’Donnell

      With REGARD TO THE STAFFING NUMBERS, HOW CAN I FEED THIS IN?

      Staffing numbers were determined through the original bidding process and further discussions have taken place to look at adjustments. Some staff have been engaged in workshops on the development of the Hub which have fed into how we utilised the resources allocated to us. We will over the months continue to review our staffing allocations and this will be in discussion with staff.

      WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

      From Monday all staff who are at risk will receive a letter telling them that we will commence compulsory redundancy notification.


      We anticipate completing this process by mid September.


      From Monday if you wish to, you can indicate your expression of interest in voluntary severance through completing the attached form. You will have three weeks to register your expression of interest.

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  11. Stop Press Northumbria:-
    Months of "negotiation" result in no change to staffing figures or severance pay.

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  12. That's consoling for numbria.

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