NIPSA would like to take this opportunity to again recognise, and applaud, all our members who have continued to attend your workplaces across NIHE as necessary to perform your duties throughout the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic. We also recognise that for some, working from home has not been easy and applaud all those who continue to work tirelessly, regardless of your work location, to perform your duties to the highest standards. You are a credit to both NIHE and to NIPSA.

As you will be aware, throughout the Pandemic, NIPSA has continued to engage very regularly with NIHE Management, up to and including CEO level, on the actions necessary to best protect members against catching and spreading Covid 19. Such discussions have centred around ensuring that those who can work from home are facilitated to do so amongst many other mitigating factors such as increased ventilation, the development of a system of risk and building capacity assessments (which will be regularly reviewed and necessary risk mitigation actions taken where needed), use of face coverings, facilities changes to ensure the continuation of 2 metres’ social distancing, provision of LFD Covid tests and much more.

Over the past two weeks, negotiations have intensified on the NIHE’s potential return to work plan, with NIPSA instrumentally feeding the best interests of members into the approach to be taken.

I have worked closely with your Trade Union Side Officers to agree a set of protective measures and increasingly engaged with HR on these measures to ensure they are interwoven into the RTW plans.

Such measures include:

  • The public health message that you should “continue to work from home where you can” ie if your presence at a workplace is not essential to the completion of your duties, you should remain working from home until such official guidance changes.
  • Reflecting the NI Health Minister’s clearly stated position that he “would not act to change working from home guidance ahead of receiving advice.” Such advice will come from Medical and Scientific experts and the outcome of work being undertaken by the NI Executive’s “Covid task force”. Robin Swann has also stated on 24 February this year that “….As we currently stand, I haven’t received any advice or guidance that would make me see that would be something that I would be rushing to do at this minute in time, but if that advice and guidance came that there was an ability to move, even to hybrid working arrangements, it is something I will consider”.
  • A phased approach must be taken to return to workplace transition, with an initial focus on those areas which are front line external customer facing, such as Housing Services, the duties of which cannot fully be done from home. A meeting is scheduled to take place next week with the Director of Housing Services to discuss safety measures and timing of the commencement of a safe phased return.
  • Any reference to RTW percentages should be in the context of “utilising different ratios of hybrid working up to '...' of the working week, where safe to do so”.
  • Every effort should be made by all involved in the employee/line manager 1 to 1 meetings to reach an agreed “Work Style Agreement” which is reasonable and works for both you and the NIHE.

A Staff Update will shortly be circulated by HR, which makes reference to a “Return to the Workplace Transition Arrangements” document which is organic and will evolve throughout the transition phase. We have advocated that both the Staff Update and the associated Transition document should fully reflect the key points above.

Please ensure that you take the opportunity to have your 1 to 1 meeting with your line manager about how and where you will work during the transition phase and beyond. Remember to keep a copy of your Individual Agreement. NIPSA hopes that these crucial meetings will be instrumental in shaping your working arrangements going forward. Where agreement cannot be reached, please do not sign the document and utilise the informal escalation to a senior manager that the document refers to. If this still does not resolve your concerns, you can raise the matter formally utilising the grievance procedure.

NIPSA will continue to work closely with Management, on behalf of members, throughout the transition process and beyond via the fortnightly Covid sub-group meetings, at further special meetings and at JCNC level. If you have any queries or concerns, please contact your NIPSA Branch officers and/or HR in the first instance.

Finally, please remember to fully abide by the PHA health guidance to protect yourselves and each other.

Kim Graham
Assistant Secretary