News
Devolution of Justice Functions - Assimilation
30/03/2011
Members will recall that we previously indicated that Trade Union Side were engaged in discussions relating to what NIPSA feels is an unfairness in the way Management propose to handle the assimilation of Grade C/EOs and former Court Service AOs to NICS scales once the people assessments have been carried out.
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Members will recall that we previously indicated that Trade Union Side were engaged in discussions relating to what NIPSA feels is an unfairness in the way Management propose to handle the assimilation of Grade C/EOs and former Court Service AOs to NICS scales once the people assessments have been carried out.
The purpose of this Bulletin is to provide an update to members in relation to those discussions. TUS have argued consistently that members should assimilate to the NICS on the same or equivalent grades to those held prior to the Devolution of Justice. Furthermore we argued that any assessment exercise should have been completed before members had to decide on their options ie by 21 January 2011. The delay in completing this exercise has therefore resulted in some NI Court Service AO staff being placed onto NICS AA scales, however all have continued to carry out the work commensurate with the AO scale since 12 April 2010. Under Management Side proposals, these staff will receive no recognition or recompense for carrying out work at the higher grade from devolution until they are assimilated to the AO scale. This scenario also applies to staff at EO level in the NI Court Service and those staff in the former Northern Ireland Office who are in a comparable situation.
TUS have advanced this argument in continued discussions since 21 January. To date we have been unable to agree a way forward with Management Side. The issue will now be placed on the Agenda of the Central Whitley Executive meeting which will take place on 5 April.
In the meantime TUS have notified Management that the assessment process for former NI Court Service AOs should proceed and a further meeting to discuss the proposed assessment process for staff at EO level in the former NI Court Service and Northern Ireland Office has been scheduled.
A further bulletin will be issued to members following the meeting of the Central Whitley Executive.
Yours sincerely
RYAN McKINNEY
Assistant Secretary
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