Joint Committee of Consultation & Negotiation

Appointed by SMG, the Joint Committee of Consultation & Negotiation (JCCN) is the primary consultation forum where Senior Managers meet with representatives of the four recognised Trade Unions. 

The University has a formal Recognition Agreement signed by all the recognised Trade Unions.  This sets out the formal arrangements for collective consultation and negotiation and the staff groups each Union has such formal collective rights for. During Collective consultation the unions represent all employees that fall within the Recognition Agreement whether they are members or not of that union.

The University and the Recognised Trade Unions have common objectives aimed towards:      

  • maintaining effective employment practices and employee relations
  • encouraging effective communication
  • meaningful consultation and engagement with all Employees
  • ensuring that Employees are treated fairly and equitably

Committee remit

The Committee shall:

  • Establish and maintain effective working relationships between the parties
  • Ensure a sound and effective employee relations platform
  • Engage promptly and openly to avoid misunderstanding between the University and the recognised Trade Unions
  • Work collaboratively on matters of common interest and concern
  • Negotiate and approve, where appropriate at a local level, pay and conditions of employment for Employees
  • Conduct statutory and other consultation on proposals to enable the University to consider the views of the Elected Representatives through discussion and feedback, before the University takes certain decisions
  • Review outputs from Collective Consultation Forum (CCF) regarding any potential redundancies arising from the ending of external funding or the end of fixed term contracts associated with short-term projects and/or funding
  • Review outputs from Policy Review Group (PRG) on policy reviews and proposals for any significant changes to policies and procedures. Whilst the majority of such policies are not contractual, and hence are not subject to formal collective agreements with the Unions, this consultation is critical to the successful development and implementation of management policies such as Managing Attendance and Performance Development and Review (PDR)
  • Review outputs from New Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (New JNCHES) annual pay negotiations are carried out at a national level with UCEArepresenting the member Universities including the University of Glasgow

Scheme of Delegation

The following details the delegated authority for the JCCN and shows how it is placed in the overall University Scheme of Delegation with escalation to People & Organisation Development Committee or Court:

Area of Responsibility

Limit

Decision Making Delegated Authority

Escalation To

Negotiate and approve, where appropriate at a local level, pay and conditions of employment for Employees (on the national pay spine)

N/A

Executive Director of People & Organisational Development

Court

Conduct statutory and other consultation on proposals, where appropriate, to enable the University to consider the views of the Elected Representatives (proposals agreed with JCCN Chair and Executive Director of People & Organisation Development)

N/A

Executive Director of People & Organisational Development

Court

Committee Membership

 The JCCN is jointly chaired by the University and Trade Unions and a rotational chairperson will be nominated by the JCCN in advance of each meeting. The JCCN shall be comprised of no more than 10 members (Members).  Members will consist of representatives from the University and Elected Representatives from each of the Recognised Trade Unions.  Up to 5 Members of the JCCN shall be representatives of University management who will be members of the Senior Management Group and the University Services Leadership Team:

  • Senior Vice Principal and Deputy Vice-Chancellor
  • Executive Director of People & Organisational Development
  • Employee Relations Lead
  • Chief Operating Officer and University Secretary
  • Rotational Member of People & Organisational Development Executive Team
  • Representation from the recognised Trade Unions
    • Unite
    • Unison
    • UCU
    • GMB

In attendance

  • Presenter of proposal

Committee Member Responsibilities

Each Committee member has a responsibility to:

  • Provide insight, scrutiny and challenge to proposals, assuring business continuity and minimum risk exposure to the university
  • Openly and constructively challenge where proposals do not meet key regulatory criteria
  • Maintain subject matter knowledge in People & OD regulations and trends across HEI
  • Identify, assess and mitigate People & OD (employee relations) risk at an operational level
  • Take ownership for specific actions and risks, as recorded by the Clerk
  • Activity and behaviour should embody the University’s values (click here for details)

Format and cadence

The JCCN shall meet 3 times per year, with the power to call extra‐ordinary meetings as required.  Meetings shall be 1.5 - 2 hours.

INPUTS

  • Summary report of any individual matters arranged locally between relevant managers and Union Representatives
  • Proposals (as agreed with JCCN Chair and Executive Director of People & Organisation Development)
  • Output summary from Collective Consultation Forum (CCF)
  • Output summary from Policy Review Group (PRG)
  • Output summary from New Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (New JNCHES)

OUTPUTS

  • Revised papers and reports to Court via People and Organisation Development Committee
  • Minutes

Substitutions and Quorum

Elected Representatives and University Representatives are required to make every effort to attend each JCCN meeting but a substitution is permitted where an absence cannot be avoided.

JCCN meetings are quorate if three University Representatives are present along with one Elected Representative for UCU and at least one Elected Representative from at least two of the other Recognised Trade Unions.

Conflict of Interest

The JCCN will follow the UofG procedure for the management of any conflicts,  The procedure defines declaration of conflicts as a standard agenda item at the start of the meeting, the maintenance of a register of conflicts, and a process for managing all conflicts which are declared.