Joint Consultative Board (Non-Teaching)

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Board Members
Councillor Mary Fee	Councillor Brian Lawson	Councillor Tommy Williams
Councillor Audrey Doig	Councillor Allan Noon

1. Title

The Board shall be called the Employees Joint Consultative Board, hereinafter called the Employees JCB.

2. Membership

2.1 The Employees JCB shall consist of five elected members, six representatives of former APT&C staff and five representatives of former manual workers and craft operatives, employed by Renfrewshire Council. The Unison Branch Secretary and Manual and Craft Spokesperson will be included within this delegation.

2.2 Members representing the Council shall be appointed by the General Management Policy Board.

2.3 Members representing the trade unions shall be appointed by the trade unions recognised for negotiating purposes on the Scottish Joint Council for Local Government Employees.

2.4 Members representing the Craft trade unions shall be appointed by the trade unions recognised for negotiating purposes on the Scottish Joint Negotiating Committees for Local Authorities Services (Craft Operatives).

2.5 The trade unions will take account of their membership distribution when appointing representatives to the JCB. The Unison Branch Secretary and Manual and Craft Spokesperson will act as convenors for their membership for the purpose of notifying business and requisitioning special meetings.

2.6 A member representing the Council shall cease to hold office in the event of him/her ceasing to be a member of Renfrewshire Council or ceasing to be a member of the General Management Policy Board.

2.7 A member representing a particular trade union shall cease to hold office on leaving the service of Renfrewshire Council or ceasing to be a member of that union, or the respective trade unions determining a change in their JCB representation.

2.8 Any member of the Employees JCB who is unable to attend a particular meeting may appoint a substitute representative subject to notification having been given to the Director of Corporate Services prior to the commencement of the meeting. Member substitutes will require to be members of the General Management Policy Board and trade union substitutes will be appointed by the respective trade unions as JCB substitute delegates.

2.9 Full-time officials of trade unions and officers of the Council may attend meetings in an advisory capacity.

3. Chairperson

The Chairperson at each meeting shall be appointed alternately by the Council members and by the employees representatives.

4. Secretariat

The Director of Corporate Services shall act as secretary to the Employees JCB.

5. Functions

The functions of the Employees JCB will be:

5.1 To act as a forum for consultation between the Council and the trade unions representing all non-teaching employees on employment/service conditions matters which are not specifically determined by their respective national negotiating bodies;

5.2 To secure the greatest possible measures of joint action between the Council and the trade unions for the development and improvement of the work of the Council;

5.3 To consider any reference from the Council or the trade union side on matters affecting the mutual interests of the Council and its employees and to make recommendations thereon to the appropriate Board of the Council;

5.4 To consider measures for safeguarding the health and welfare of the Council's employees;

5.5 The Employees JCB will not consider questions of individual appointment or other matters which are more properly the province of the Council's grievance or disciplinary procedures.

6. Meetings

6.1. The Employees JCB shall meet as and when required but not less than four times per year.

6.2 In addition, the Depute Convener of the Council's General Management Policy Board, the Unison Branch Secretary and the Manual and Craft Spokesperson may together requisition a meeting by written notice given to the secretary, specifying the business to be discussed. The secretary shall call such a meeting within 10 working days of receipt of such a requisition.

6.3 Each side shall notify the secretary of any matters to be discussed at an ordinary meeting of the Employees JCB not later than 10 days prior to the meeting.

6.4 The secretary shall issue an agenda of business to be discussed at any meeting of the Employees JCB not later than 5 working days prior to the meeting.

6.5 Except with the consent of the Chairperson of the meeting and with the agreement of the majority of the Employees JCB members present, no business other than stated in the agenda shall be discussed at the meeting.

7. Quorum

The quorum of the Employees JCB shall be two representatives from the Council’s side and two representatives from the trade union side.

8. Voting

8.1 No resolution shall be regarded as carried unless it has been approved by a majority of the members present on each side of the Employees JCB. The Chairperson of the meeting shall not have a casting vote.

8.2 In the event of the Employees JCB being unable to arrive at an agreement, the matters in dispute may, at the instigation of either side, be referred to the appropriate Board of the Council. This does not preclude either side referring the matter in a dispute to the Scottish Joint Council for Local Government Employees or Scottish Joint Negotiating Committees for Local Authorities Services (Craft Operatives) in accordance with its constitution.

8.3 Decisions of the Employees JCB shall be reported to the General Management Policy Board of the Council to consider whatever action is required.

9. Amendments to Constitution

This constitution may be altered by agreement between the Council and the relevant trade unions subject to the matter being submitted for discussion at an Employees JCB meeting in accordance with Section 6 above and agreement being reached on any such alteration.

10. Agreed Consultative Procedure

As contained in Appendix 1below.


In terms of the Council’s consultation process, it is the intention to have issues resolved as quickly and as close to a local level as possible. It is when the undernoted process has been exhausted that unresolved issues would be referred for discussion to the Employees JCB.

It is intended that adherence to this procedure will assist in achieving a quick resolution to issues, as well as enhancing communication and employee relations between the relevant parties.


1. All issues should be raised in the first instance with line management. If the issue is still unresolved or is not progressed within an agreed timescale, then:

2. The issue should be raised with the appropriate senior officer within the department and/or at the departmental liaison meeting (depending on the timescale) for discussion.

If there is a failure to agree on a specific issue or no progress has been achieved in reaching a resolution within an agreed timescale, the issue must be raised with Corporate Services, Personnel Services. Prior to the progression of the issue/s to this stage, consideration requires to be given to the complexity of the issue and time reasonably required to investigate the facts etc.

If raised with Corporate Services, Personnel Services, the issue may then be added to the agenda of the Personnel Services Joint Trade Union Liaison Meeting or, in special circumstances, a special meeting may be convened.

3. When an issue has been discussed at officer level and the process has been fully exhausted but remains unresolved, it will be included on the agenda of the Employees JCB or referred to the Appeals Board. The relevant forum will be determined having regard to the particular circumstances of each case.

4. Where issues require to be researched and investigated, parties should reach agreement on the timescale for reporting. This is particularly relevant to steps 2 and 3 of this process.

5. Exceptionally, issues which may be considered urgent by the relevant trade unions can be raised immediately with their Branch Secretary/Spokesperson, who may contact the Head of Personnel Services.