Review of Unsocial Hours Arrangements In 2005 the NHS staff council established a sub group to review unsocial hours (USH) arrangements which, for most staff, are currently based on pre AfC agreements. Amicus and the other NHS unions have been involved throughout the review. It is expected that any new agreement will be implemented on 1st October 2007.The attachments to this Reps Direct are intended to provide for a period of consultation across the NHS before any proposed USH agreement is finalised to inform the continuing negotiations at national level. This consultation does not replace the membership ballot in the amicus health sector which will take place after a new proposed USH agreement is finalised.
The first document is a letter addressed to the service jointly signed by the NHS employers and the staff side explaining the consultation process. The second document is a draft of section 2 of the AfC handbook outlining the new proposed USH arrangements. The third document is a briefing note which invites comments to be sent the NHS project lead on USH or to your union. Could reps who submit comments to the NHS project lead please cc them to Barrie Brown in the health sector - barrie.brown@amicustheunion.org - who should also be sent comments which are not submitted to the NHS project lead. Where there is effective local partnership working reps should encourage joint employer/staff side responses.
It must be emphasised that this is a review of unsocial hours working as defined in paragraph 6 and table 2 in paragraph 10 of the draft section 2.This does not affect or change the pre AfC on call arrangements which are protected until 30/9/08. There is currently work taking place to test the USH proposals in pathology depts on a number of sites where there are shift/cpp work arrangements and the outcome from this will be included alongside the responses received in this consultation period.
If you have any question arising from this edition of Reps Direct please contact your Regional Officer.