# Greater London Employment Forum Wednesday 18 November 2009 At 15.00 Approx (Or On The Rising Of The Sides)

 
London Councils' 59½ Southwark Street London SE1 OAL 

Employers' Side: 
Conference Suite, First Floor 
14.00 
Union Side: 
Room 3 , First Floor 
14.00 

Contact Officer: 
Ana Gradiska Telephone: 
020 7934 9702 Email: 
ana.gradiska@londoncouncils.gov.uk 
 
Agenda item 

## 1 Apologies For Absence

| 2                                                                                    | ELECTION OF CHAIR AND VICE-CHAIR FOR 2009/10    |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
| The constitution provides that the positions of Chair and Vice-Chair should          |                                                 |
| alternate between the two sides on an annual basis.  This year it is the turn of the |                                                 |
| Employers' Side to provide the Chair                                                 |                                                 |
|                                                                                      |                                                 |
| 3                                                                                    | CONFIRMATION OF GLEF MEMBERSHIP 2009/10         |
| Attached                                                                             |                                                 |
| Attached                                                                             |                                                 |
| 4                                                                                    | MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING                     |
| To agree the minutes of the meeting held on 19 May 2009                              |                                                 |
|                                                                                      |                                                 |

5 
MATTERS ARISING 
To consider any matters arising from the minutes of the last meeting 
 

| 6                                                                           |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| A presentation from Rob Whiteman, Chief Executive London Borough of Barking |
| and Dagenham on his authority's approach to apprenticeships and an overview |
| of the issues for London local government                                   |
|                                                                             |

7 
UPDATE ON SINGLE STATUS 
To share information on the latest position in London 

8 
DATE OF NEXT MEETING 
Wednesday 21 July 2010 at 3.00  (side meetings at 2.00) - Note that the GLPC is meeting on 3 March 2010 


Simon Pannell Employers' Secretary 59½  Southwark Street LONDON SE 1 OAL Vicky Easton Union Side Co-Secretary 
1st Floor, Congress House, Great Russell Street,  
LONDON WC1B 3LS 

## Membership 2009/10



Borough 
Rep 
Party 
Barking & Dagenham 
Graham Bramley 
Lab 
Barnet 
Mike Freer 
Con 
Bexley 
Colin Tandy 
Con 
Brent 
Gavin Sneddon 
LD 
Employers' Side 
Bromley 
Tony Owen 
Con 
 
Camden 
Flick Rea 
LD 
Croydon 
Sara Bashford 
Con 
Ealing 
Ian Potts 
Con 
Enfield 
Dogan Delman 
Con 
Greenwich 
Peter Brooks 
Lab 
Hackney 
Karen Alcock 
Lab 
Hammersmith & Fulham 
Alex Karmel 
Con 
Haringey 
Bob Harris 
Lab 
Harrow 
Paul Osborn 
Con 
Havering 
Eric Munday 
Con 
Hillingdon 
Scott Seaman-Digby 
Con 
Hounslow 
Peter Thompson 
Con 
Islington 
John Gilbert 
LD 
Kensington & Chelsea 
Mark Daley 
Con 
Kingston upon Thames 
Ian Reid 
LD 
Lambeth 
Jackie Meldrum 
Lab 
Lewisham 
Helen Klier 
Lab 
Merton 
Samantha George 
Con 
Newham 
Christine Bowden 
Lab 
Redbridge 
Suzanne Nolan 
Con 
Richmond upon Thames 
Stephen Knight 
LD 
Southwark 
Lorraine Zuleta 
LD 
Sutton 
John Drage 
LD 
Tower Hamlets 
Oliur Rahman 
Lab 
Waltham Forest 
Peter Barnett 
Lab 
Wandsworth 
Maurice Heaster 
Con 
Westminster  
Angela Harvey 
Con 
City of London 

## Union Side Unison

Rita Ash 
 
April Ashley 
 
Margaret Back 
 
Brian  
Blake 
 
Louise Couling 
 
Jane Doolan 
 
Vicky Easton 
 
Sean Fox 
 
Sonya Howard 
 
Anna  
Jackson 
 
Lara Johnson 
 
Glenn Kelly 
 
Jackie  
Lewis 
 
Maxine Lynch 
 
Sue Plain 
 
Rosemary Plummer 
 
Helen  
Steel 
 
One vacancy 


Unite Ian Burgess 
 
Esther Rey 
 
Kevin Simmons 
 
Paul Travers 
 
Rachel Young 
 
One vacancy 


GMB 
Jackie Nield 
 
Dave  
Powell 
 
Ted Purcell 
 
Tony Smith 
 
Eileen Theaker 
 
Vaughan West 
 
Anne Price 
 
One vacancy 

## Minutes Of The Meeting Of The Greater London Forum Held On 19 May 2009 Attendance Employers Cllr Colin Tandy Bexley

| Cllr Tony Owen       |     |     |     |         | Bromley    |
|----------------------|-----|-----|-----|---------|------------|
| Cllr Flick Rea       |     |     |     |         | Camden     |
| Cllr Sara Bashford   |     |     |     |         | Croydon    |
| Cllr Martin Prescott |     |     |     | Enfield |            |
|                      |     |     |     |         |            |
| Cllr Peter Brooks    |     |     |     |         | Greenwich  |

Cllr Alex Karmel  


Hammersmith and Fulham Cllr Paul Osborn  


Harrow 

| Cllr Eric Munday      |     |     |     |            | Havering    |
|-----------------------|-----|-----|-----|------------|-------------|
| Cllr Gerald McGregor  |     |     |     | Hounslow   |             |
| Cllr Helen Klier      |     |     |     |            | Lewisham    |
|                       |     |     |     |            |             |
| Cllr Christine Bowden |     |     |     | Newham     |             |
| Cllr Thomas Chan      |     |     |     |            | Redbridge   |
| Cllr Lorraine Zuleta  |     |     |     | Southwark  |             |
| Cllr Maurice Heaster  |     |     |     | Wandsworth |             |
|                       |     |     |     |            |             |
| Cllr Angela Harvey    |     |     |     |            | Westminster |
|                       |     |     |     |            |             |
|                       |     |     |     |            |             |
| Union side            |     |     |     |            |             |
| Vicky Easton          |     |     |     |            | Unison      |
| Margaret Back         |     |     |     |            |             |
| Brian Blake           |     |     |     |            |             |
| Louise Couling        |     |     |     |            | Unison      |
| Sean Fox              |     |     |     |            |             |
| Sonya Howard          |     |     |     |            | Unison      |
| Glenn Kelly           |     |     |     |            |             |
| Jackie Lewis          |     |     |     |            | Unison      |
| Sue Plain (Chair)     |     |     |     |            | Unison      |
| Ian Burgess           |     |     |     |            |             |
| Paul Travers          |     |     |     |            | Unite       |
| Lisa Mannion          |     |     |     |            | Unite       |
| Kevin Simmons         |     |     |     |            | Unite       |
| Jackie Nield          |     |     |     |            |             |
| Tony Smith            |     |     |     |            |             |
| Vaughan West          |     |     |     |            | GMB         |

 London Councils officers were in attendance, plus Carol Lewis (Unison) The Union Side announced the death of Malcolm Campbell.  Malcolm had sat on GLEF/GLPC since 2000. Employers and unions paid tribute to Malcolm, and held a minutes' 
silence. 

1.     Apologies Apologies were received from Cllr Gavin Sneddon (Brent), Cllr Dogan Delman (Enfield), Cllr Jackie Meldrum (Lambeth), Peter Thompson (Hounslow), Cllr Tim Coleridge (K&C), Cllr Ian Reid (Kingston), Cllr Stephen Knight (Richmond), Cllr John Drage (Sutton), Rita Ash (Unison), April Ashley (Unison), Jane Doolan (Unison), David Eggmore (Unison), Justin Bowden (GMB),Ted Purcell (GMB), Eileen Theaker (GMB) and Vaughan West (GMB). 

2. 

Minutes from the last meeting The minutes were agreed as an accurate record of the meeting that took place on 17 March 2009. 

3.         **Matters arising** Equalities issues: The joint secretaries had met to discuss good practice on equalities monitoring on HR issues. Both sides agreed that they wanted to find good working models within London boroughs to share more widely. Apprenticeships: The unions announced that they had put forward a nominee for the regional local government working group.  They would be looking for certain outcomes from the group, such as the sharing of good practice on employment/pay arrangements and the collection of data on how many apprenticeships gained permanent employment on the completion of their apprenticeship. London Living Wage LLW: The Employers' Secretary had contacted the GLA about this issue, and was told that the new LLW rate and accompanying guidance would be issued in two weeks' time. However, the GLA would not be issuing specific legal advice on the LLW; rather, legal issues would be covered in the general guidance. 

4. 

  Update on Single Status The Union Side noted the general progress across London, but it was still awaiting an offer from LB Redbridge - the last remaining borough to make a single status offer. Thomas Chan, the LB Redbridge representative, said that a report would go to the LB 
Redbridge Cabinet meeting in June.  It was hoped that an offer would be made shortly afterwards. 5. 

National Pay Negotiations 
 
The Union Side said that it understood that local authorities had on average budgeted for about 2% pay increases in 2009/10.  In the light of this, it felt that the employers' offer of 0.5% was unreasonable. The offer would also cause huge disparities in the rate of increase with teachers who would get 2.3% as part of their three-year deal. In many cases pay for senior managers would increase by significantly more than the NJC offer. The disparity was compounded by the fact that many boroughs had significantly increased members' 
allowances.  The unions had heard that the London employers had been particularly resistant to a more generous offer being made. 

The Employers' Side said that the budget provision represented careful planning for an outcome outside the control of individual authorities.  In many cases boroughs had had to readjust financial priorities in the light of rapidly changing economic circumstances.  It was estimated that London local authorities would see a reduction in interest on investments of about £400 million during 2009/10 compared to what they had anticipated earlier in the budget planning process.  Increments would use up about 1% of any budget provision and budgets had been set before the 0.3% increase arising from arbitration on the 2008/9 pay award.  Any increases in pay would lead to cuts in jobs and services at a time when all the indications were that the longer term financial position of local government would worsen. The Chair of The Employers' Side indicated that London authorities clearly had a mixture of views, as would be the case in any region.  The LGE consultation exercise had shown that London was not significantly different from any other region in the views that had been expressed. 

6. 

Date of next meeting The next meeting will take place on Wednesday, 18 November 2009 at 3.00.  Side meetings will be at 2.00