SCHOOL OFFICE REVIEW

As you’ll be aware, the above review is now under way, with one meeting already held between management and staff on 13 December and a further one scheduled for 10 January 2018.

We can confirm that this review will focus mainly on primary schools. There will also be an impact on Administrative Assistants working in secondary schools; however, LG3 and LG4 clerical staff in secondary schools are no longer within the scope of this review and will not be directly affected by it. Management have also ought expressions of interest from school office staff affected by the review for Early Retirement/Voluntary Redundancy (usually abbreviated to ‘ER/VR’) which are to be submitted by 5 January 2018. Although we won’t know the full extent of the school office proposals until the meeting on 10 January, our advice would be that even if you are only remotely interested in the possibility of ER/VR then you should apply for an illustration of the payment you’d receive. Applying for an illustration doesn’t commit you to anything and once the information is received you can do nothing more with it, or pursue it if formal applications for ER/VR are invited from management later in 2018.

The formal consultation period for this Review is scheduled to start on 10 January 2018. In order that we can hear your views on the final proposals, we have organised a meeting for members working in primary school offices and members employed as Administration Assistants in secondary schools; this will take place in the function room of the Queen’s Hotel, The Cross, Forfar on Wednesday 17 January 2018 and will commence at 1630, lasting for one hour. Branch Officers will remain at the venue until 1830 in case members wish to discuss issues on a one-to-one basis.