CLAWSON HARBY & HOSE PARISH COUNCIL
EMPLOYEE GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
INTRODUCTION
1.1.1.
This procedure applies to all employees of the council.
1.2. The objectives of the procedure are: –
To foster good relationships between the council and its employees by discouraging the harbouring of grievances;
To settle grievances as near as possible to their point of origin;
To ensure the council treats grievances seriously and resolves them as quickly as possible; and
To ensure that employees are treated fairly and consistently throughout the council.
1.3. Matters excluded from this procedure are as follows: –
Appeals against salary or gradings;
Appeals against disciplinary actions;
Income tax, national insurance matters, rates of pay collectively agreed at the national or local level;
Rules of pension schemes; and
A grievance about a matter over which the council has no control.
2. INFORMAL GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
Before resorting to formal procedures from the employee or from the Council it is the policy of the Council that discussions between both parties should be entered into with the express purpose of resolving the matter through a process of medication seeking conciliation. Where necessary the Council will seek the services of an external expert to forward this process to reach a conclusion satisfactory to both parties in the dispute.
3. FORMAL GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
STANDARD COUNCIL GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
3.1. The employee must set out his/her grievance in writing (“Statement of Grievance”) and provide a copy to his/her manager.
3.2. Once the council has had a reasonable opportunity to consider its response to the information provided in the Statement of Grievance the employee will be invited to attend a grievance meeting to discuss the matter.
a) The employee must take all reasonable steps to attend the meeting.
b) Grievance meetings will normally be convened with 14 days of the council receiving the Statement of Grievance.
c) The employee has the right to be accompanied to a grievance meeting by a fellow employee or by a Trade Union representative.
d) If the meeting is inconvenient for either the employee or his or her companion, the employee has the right to postpone the meeting by up to 5 working days.
3.3. A grievance meeting may be adjourned to allow matters raised during the course of the meeting to be investigated, or to afford the employees manager time to consider the decision.
3.4. After the meeting the employee will be informed of the council’s decision within 5 working days. [The meeting may be reconvened for this purpose]. The council’s decision will be confirmed to the employee in writing.
3.5. If the employee wishes to appeal against the council’s decision he or she must inform the council within 5 working days of receiving the decision.
3.6 If the employee notifies the council that they wish to appeal, the employee will be invited to attend a grievance appeal meeting before the Council’s Staffing Committee. The employee must take all reasonable steps to attend that meeting. The employee has the right to be accompanied to a grievance appeal meeting by a fellow employee or by a Trade Union representative / Association.
3.7. A grievance appeal meeting will normally be convened within 7 working days of the council receiving notice that the employee wishes to appeal pursuant to 3.5. above. If the meeting time is inconvenient for the employee or his or her companion, the employee may ask to postpone the meeting by up to 5 working days.
3.8. After the grievance appeal meeting the employee will be informed of the council’s final decision within 5 working days. [The meeting may be reconvened for this purpose]. The council’s decision will be confirmed to the employee in writing.
4. MODIFIED COUNCIL GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE (FOR FORMER EMPLOYEES)
4.1. If an ex-employee wishes to raise a grievance, he or she must set out their grievance and the basis for that grievance in writing and provide a copy to the Chairman of the Council’s Staffing Committee.
4.2. Following receipt of a statement of grievance pursuant to 4.1. above, the council will either write to the ex-employee inviting him or her to attend a meeting to discuss the grievance, or to ask for the ex-employee’s agreement to the council responding to the grievance in writing.
4.2.1. If the ex-employee does not agree to the matter being dealt with by correspondence within 7 working days of the council writing to them pursuant to 4.2.above, steps 3.1.- 3.4. of the standard council grievance procedure will be followed. The meeting will be conducted by the Councils Staffing Committee.
4.2.2. If the ex-employee does agree to the matter being dealt with by correspondence, the Councils Staffing Committee will consider his or her grievance and will respond to the ex-employee in writing within 14 days of the receipt of such confirmation setting out the basis for the council’s decision.
5. GENERAL PROCEDURAL INFORMATION
5.1. Grievances raised under the standard council grievance procedure will normally be investigated, and any meetings to discuss the grievance conducted by the employee’s manager.
5.2. If an employee’s grievance is about [his/her manager/the clerk] they should raise the matter with the Chairman of the Council’s Staffing Committee. All investigations and any grievance meeting will be conducted by the said Staffing Committee and any grievance appeal meeting will be conducted by 3 members of the council who do not sit on the Staffing Committee.
5.3. Where a grievance is raised by the clerk to the council or all employee relations matters are dealt with by the Council’s Staffing Committee all investigations and any grievance meeting will be conducted by the said Committee. Any grievance appeal meeting will be conducted by 3 members of the council who do not sit on the Staffing Committee.
5.4. A copy of the Statement of Grievance, a note of the decision taken at the first stage of the procedure, any notice of appeal and appeal decision will be placed on the employee’s / ex-employees personnel file, together with any notes or evidence taken or compiled during the course of the procedure
