Local Government Pension Scheme



HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

CABINET

MONDAY, 19 OCTOBER 2009 AT 2.00P.M.

AGE DISCRIMINATION – CHANGES TO REDUNDANCY PAY POLICY

Report of the Director of Resources and Performance

Author: Louise Tibbert (Tel: 01992 556653)

Executive Member: David Lloyd, Resources & Economic Well-Being

1. Purpose of Report

1.1 To seek Cabinet agreement to change the current redundancy pay policy.

2. Summary

2.1 The existing redundancy pay scheme was last reviewed in 2007 and retained two levels or redundancy pay i.e. up to 66 weeks pay for under age 55s and up to 30 weeks’ pay for over age 55s.

2.2 The County Council is likely to be vulnerable to claims for age discrimination if the differential payments are maintained.

2.3 The County Council is expecting that workforce downsizing will result in a significant increase in redundancies from 2010/11 and needs to address the age discrimination risks, as well as minimise the future costs of redundancy payments.

2.4 The report proposes that a single scheme, using the statutory calculator and statutory maximum of up to 30 weeks pay, be implemented from 1 December 2009 for all redundancy payments regardless of age.

3. Recommendations

1. The Policy & Resources Cabinet Panel will consider this issue at its meeting on Thursday, 15 October 2009.

2. The Panel will be asked to recommend to Cabinet that the proposal outlined at Option 2 (Section 6.2) of the report, a move to a single pay scheme of up to 30 weeks pay based on the statutory calculator, regardless of age, be approved.

3. The Panel’s recommendation to Cabinet will be reported at the meeting and circulated to members in the Order Sheet.

4. Background

4.1 The Council implemented its current policy on 1 April 2007 as part of a wider review of associated local government pension scheme discretions, to comply with changes to age legislation. This was agreed by Cabinet in February 2007. This policy applies to all staff, including teachers and uniformed Fire Service staff.

4.2 Whilst some changes were made in 2007 to the pension scheme discretions (e.g. pension enhancement via added years was removed) the redundancy pay elements remained unchanged. It was agreed to monitor the number of cases leaving via redundancy and early retirement. To date emphasis has been placed on vacancy management and redeployment to minimise costs for the council, including those associated with early retirement and pension scheme ‘strain’.

4.3 The number of people leaving Hertfordshire County Council via redundancy remains relatively low, but is likely to increase significantly into 2010/2011 if 10-20% reductions to the County Council’s headcount are required. The increase in redundancies and associated costs, together with recent legal advice about the potential for discrimination (on the grounds of age) within the County Council’s redundancy pay policy mean that a review is required urgently.

| |2007/8 |2008/9 |

|Schools – Redundancy |19 |102 |

|Schools – Early Retirement (no redundancy pay) |125 |185 |

|Non Schools - redundancy |40 |27 |

|Non schools – Early Retirement (no redundancy pay) |127 |115 |

5. Current County Council Policy

1. The issue for the County Council is that is pays significantly above the UK statutory maximum of up to 30 weeks for staff made redundant under the age of 50/55. The current County Council policy allows for up to 66 weeks pay based on a Hertfordshire County Council calculator (length of service and age) allowing 2.2 x weekly gross salary.

Technical note:

o Local Govt. Pension scheme (LGPS) rules state that employees in the scheme before 31 March 2008 can access their pension on retirement/redundancy at age 50 – this is only protected to 31 March 2010 when the access age will increase to 55.

o Those employees who are members of the LGPS scheme on or after 1 April 2008, cannot access their pension until age 55.

o Redundancy compensation is based on an actual gross weekly pay using either the statutory calculator for those over 50/55 years or the HCC calculator for those under 50/55 years.

o Pension scheme entitlements are in addition to redundancy pay.

5.2 Staff over 50/55 years, regardless of whether they have joined one of the pension schemes (LGPS, Teachers, F&R and NHS (for a few nurses only), are capped at a maximum of 30 weeks pay based on the statutory calculator (length of service and age) to provide payment based on 1.1 x weekly gross salary).

5.3 The 2007 rationale for maintaining the differential between under and over 50/55s was pension scheme membership and entitlement to pension benefits over the age of 50/55 in addition of up to 30 weeks redundancy pay. This meant that paying the under 50/55s up to 66 weeks was a way of broadly equalising the overall payments. However, some over 50/55s have not joined a pension scheme but are also limited to a maximum of 30 weeks.

5.4 Legal advice is that there is a risk of challenge on age discrimination grounds. As yet, however, there has not been a successful Employment Tribunal claim specifically related to age discrimination and redundancy pay.

5.5 Many other authorities have also revised their schemes to provide only the statutory maximum of up to 30 weeks for all age groups using the statutory 1.1 weeks pay calculator. This includes Essex and Cambridgeshire. A few councils, and the civil service, still pay up to a maximum of 104 weeks pay.

6. Options

6.1 Option 1 – No Change

o Retain two different payment schemes for under and over 50/55s.

o There is a significant risk of legal challenge at some point. As yet there has not been a successful Employment Tribunal claim specifically related to age discrimination and redundancy pay. We are expecting case law to develop over time in this area.

o This option is not sustainable in relation to both costs due to predicted workforce downsizing and the likely risk of age discrimination claims from individuals and/or supported by the Trades Unions.

o This option is not recommended

6.2 Option 2 – Maximum of 30 Weeks Pay Regardless Of Age

o Provide only the statutory maximum redundancy payments of up to 30 weeks regardless of age or membership of a pension scheme

o Use the statutory calculator based on 1.1 weeks pay for each year of service to a maximum of 30 weeks.

o This provides consistency of treatment and reduces costs for HCC.

o It significantly reduces the possibility of a challenge and possible associated costs under age discrimination.

o This is the preferred option.

Example 1: (Based on an annual salary of £20,000).

Current policy: (Based on 2.2 weeks pay for each year of completed service up to a maximum of 66 weeks). The Employee aged 49 with 20 years local government service* would be entitled to 44 weeks pay = Total of £16,923.28.

Proposed policy: Maximum of 30 weeks, based on the statutory calculator and on each year of completed service (up to 20 years). The Employee aged 49 with 20 years local government service* would be entitled to 24 weeks pay = Total of £9,230.88.

|Example 2: (Based on an annual salary of £20,000) |

| |

|Current policy. (Based on 2.2 weeks pay for each years of completed service up to a maximum of 66 weeks). The Employee |

|aged 49 with 11 years local government service* would be entitled to 24.2 weeks pay = Total of £9,307.80. |

| |

|Proposed policy. Maximum of 30 weeks based on the statutory calculator and on each year of completed service (up to 20 |

|years). The employee aged 49 with 11 years local government service* would be entitled to 15 weeks = Total of £5,769.30. |

* All continuous Local Government Service is counted for redundancy purposes

1. Average length of service – under 55s = 5.4 years (excluding under 1 year service)

2. Average pay – under 55s = £19,218 (non schools)

6.3 Option 3 – maximum of 66 weeks redundancy pay regardless of age

o Retain the Hertfordshire County Council calculator of 2.2.weeks for each year of service.

o This provides consistency of treatment

o Will significantly increase redundancy costs for the County Council

o It removes the possibility of a challenge under age discrimination.

o Difficult to defend during recession and increasing pressure on public sector budgets.

o Likely to be media interest at some point in ‘pay offs’ in the public sector and it would be helpful to take the County Council’s scheme down to the statutory level for all staff.

o This option is not recommended.

7. Financial Implications

7.1 The financial implications of not making the changes to the policy as recommended in option 2 above are those associated with possible successful legal claims for age discrimination.

7.2 Option 2 also ensures that future redundancy costs are kept as low as possible and in line with the calculator for statutory redundancy payments.

8. Implementation

8.1 The current County Council policy has not been formally agreed with the trade unions; details have, in the past, been the subject of consultation. This means that the policy is not part of a national or local collective agreement which is contractually binding. The 8 recognised trade unions will be consulted.

8.2 Timing for the start date of this new policy is proposed as 1 December 2009. Any redundancy processes that have started before that date will use the current policy i.e. only where the statutory Section 188 notice has been served to the Trade Unions(s) before 1 December 2009. (Please note due to some delays, the implementation date has been moved from 1 November to 1 December to allow more time for discussion with the teaching unions).

8.3 Officers will report redundancy numbers and costs as part of regular workforce monitoring (e.g. via quarterly reports to Boards).

9. Trade Unions

9.1 The 8 recognised trade unions will be consulted about the change to the scheme during October.

Background Information

Agenda and Minutes, Cabinet, February 2007 (Local Government Pension Scheme Discretionary Compensation (Early Retirement of Employment) – Item 3 refers)

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Agenda Item No.

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