These Conditions of Service apply to all Manual or Trades staff Grades 1-3 employed by Aston University (The Employer).
The duties will initially be as set out in the job description enclosed with the formal offer of employment. The place of work will normally be at Aston Triangle. As a condition of your employment and following consultation with you, you may be required to undertake such other duties as may reasonably be expected of you, commensurate with your post, at your initial place of work at Aston Triangle or at any other of the University’s establishments.
The University’s establishments are currently at:
ASTON UNIVERSITY Aston Triangle, Birmingham B4 7ET
ASTON UNIVERSITY NURSERY, Unit 5, Venture Way, Birmingham Science Park, Aston, Birmingham B7 4AP
RECREATION CENTRE Birmingham Road, Walsall
Posts which are offered on a job share basis will be subject to the Job Share Guidelines. Job share appointments are dependant on the acceptance of the contract for the residual part of the job by both job share partners.
Job share partners are required to ensure that the appropriate level of communication and continuity is maintained. An overlap period will be defined in the formal offers of appointment to assist with this process.
The Public and fixed University holidays will be divided between partners according to the number of hours worked.
Wherever possible, and in negotiation with the Head of School/Department, there will be an expectation that periods of sickness and annual leave will be covered by the job share partner.
In the event of the termination of the employment of one job share partner, the other will be offered the full-time post. If this is unacceptable, efforts will be made to recruit another job share partner. If this is unsuccessful, and a review of the operational needs of the School/Department show that full-time cover for the post continues to be needed, recruitment on a full-time basis will be initiated. In this event, the University will endeavour to find alternative employment for the remaining job share partner. If this is not possible the University will have no other option than to terminate the remaining contract.
The hourly rate of pay will be determined by the grade of the post: Manual Workers Annual Salary and Hourly Rate or Trades Rates of Pay. Payment is made on a weekly basis, in arrears, by means of a bank credit.
Weekly paid employees who work shifts receive an alternative/rotating shift allowance. Trades Staff and Gardeners receive a commencing bonus in accordance with the University Bonus Scheme. Details of these will be included in the formal contract of employment.
Electricians will be required to participate in an on-call system for which a standby payment will be made. A copy of the on-call system will be included with the formal contract of employment.
Employees working on a part-time (ie part week) or term time (ie part year) basis will be paid on a pro-rata basis to the number of hours, and/or the number of weeks, worked. The precise details will be confirmed in detail in the formal contract of employment.
The University operates a Performance-Related Pay Scheme, whereby the authority to award performance-related pay is devolved to Heads of Schools/Departments. These payments are in the form of one-off merit awards. In advance of the annual exercise Heads of Schools/Departments will publicise the launch of the scheme together with the criteria for awards.
Appointments may be subject to the satisfactory completion of a six-month probationary period, in accordance with the University’s Probationary Procedure. The requirement to serve a probationary period will be confirmed in the formal offer of appointment, together with the name of the Probationary Advisor.
The appointment will be subject for its termination of your contract, during the probationary period, to one week’s notice, in writing, on either side.
During the probationary period employees are not be subject to the full University Disciplinary Procedure with regard to performance problems, although the University reserves the right to invoke the Disciplinary Procedure, should it be deemed necessary.
The normal hours of work for full-time staff are 37.00 hours per week. The standard daily hours of attendance are by arrangement with the Head of School/Department and may cover both day and evening periods, the daily commencing time being generally not before 8.00 am. There will be a need for flexibility regarding the actual hours worked in order that your duties may be discharged effectively within the School/Department and in certain circumstances there may be a requirement to work Saturdays and/or Sundays.
A certain amount of voluntary overtime may be expected; if required payment for overtime will be in accordance with the agreed enhanced rates. All overtime working should be approved in advance by the Head of School/Department.
For employees working to a shift rota, the normal hours of work will be as defined in the formal contract of employment. There may be a requirement to work on a Public and/or University holiday.
For employees working University term-time only, the weeks per year and the hours of work per week will be defined in the formal contract of employment.
Aston University positively discourages the working of excessive hours and is committed to compliance with the Working Time Regulations, the provisions of which are explained in the Working Time Regulations Policy Statement.
The main provision of the Regulations states that employees other than managing executives or employees with autonomous decision making powers (which have been defined at Aston University to include Academic and Academic Related Staff in grades 4-6) may not be required to work in excess of 48 hours per week averaged over a seventeen week reference period. The University recognises however that individual employees may wish to exercise their right to opt out of the 48 hour ruling. Employees wishing to opt out should complete the attached Working Time Regulations Opt Out Form and return it to Human Resources.
The annual leave entitlement per academic year is as follows:
Manual Grades
- Staff working full-time, five days per week, throughout the year 20 working days
- Staff working term-time (31 weeks per year) 15 working days
- Staff working 45 weeks per year 18 working days
- Staff working term time only are not normally expected to take annual leave during term time and are paid their accrued entitlement normally during the summer vacation.
Trades Grades
- Staff working full-time, five days per week, throughout the year 21 working days
For staff engaged on a fixed-term contract, the annual leave entitlement will be pro-rata for each complete month worked.
Leave entitlements will be reduced pro-rata for staff working less than five days per week or 52 weeks per year.
In addition to the above annual leave entitlements, a minimum of 13 additional days holiday per year is given as specified Public and fixed University holidays. The dates of these public and university holidays are circulated annually to Schools/Departments and are published on the University’s website.
New employees are entitled to annual leave proportionate to the completed months of service during the first year of joining the University’s service.
The timing of all leave is subject to the agreement of the Head of School/Department.
An employee who leaves the University shall be allowed one-twelfth of his/her leave entitlement for each completed month of service in the current leave year. On leaving the University an employee's salary shall be adjusted so as to take into account any leave taken in excess of his/her entitlement.
The annual leave period shall be from 1 April to the next succeeding 31 March, except for employees appointed to a 1 or 2-year fixed-term contract where the annual leave period starts from the date of commencement of the contract.
Entitlement shall not be carried forward to the subsequent leave year except in very exceptional circumstances as may be approved by the Head of School/Department.
Staff with five or more completed years of continuous service as at 1 April will be entitled to an additional one week’s annual leave. For part time staff this entitlement is pro rata to the number of days actually worked per week.
The Leave Guidelines provide a full explanation of leave entitlements, a copy of which is available for inspection in your School/Department and Human Resources.
All appointments are subject to a pre-employment medical examination to be carried out by the University physician and this will be arranged as soon as possible after an offer of appointment has been made.
Employees absent from work due to sickness or injury may be eligible to receive sick pay allowances in accordance with the Sick Pay Scheme for Manual and Ancillary Staff.
Entitlement to a sickness payment allowance is subject to compliance with the University’s rules for reporting absence and for observing the other requirements of the Sickness Payment Policy.
Members of staff who become pregnant will be eligible for maternity leave as provided in the Maternity Leave Agreement and may be entitled to receive maternity pay.
The relevant pension scheme for this post is the Aston University Pension Scheme (AUPS).
Membership is of the scheme is voluntary. Eligible employees are, however, automatically covered by the scheme and contributions will be deducted accordingly, unless written notice is received that you wish to opt out.
Written notice should be addressed to the Pensions Officer (Extension 4578) from whom further information about AUPS can be obtained.
Employees engaged for a fixed period of six months or less will not normally be eligible to join AUPS. If the appointment is extended beyond six months, employees should contact the Pensions Officer for further information.
In the case of full-time appointments, no other paid employment may be undertaken without the written permission of the Secretary-Registrar.
Employees having a grievance relating to their employment are entitled to invoke the University’s Grievance Procedure for Support Staff.
The appropriate disciplinary procedure is the Disciplinary Procedure for Support Staff
13. GRADING OF POSTS
The University operates a Job Evaluation Scheme for the evaluation of all manual posts.
A copy of the Job Evaluation Manual is available for inspection from Heads of Schools/Department or Human Resources.
14. NOTICE PERIOD
The minimum periods of notice to which employees are entitled to terminate their employment are:
Period of continuous service Minimum Notice
4 weeks or more, but less than 2 years 1 week
2 years or more, but less than 12 years 1 week for each year of
continuous employment
12 years or more 12 weeks
15. RETIREMENT
All employees paid on a weekly basis are required to retire by the Friday of the week in which they attain the age of 65 years.
A request for an extension of service can be made by a Head of School/Department to the Director of Human Resources, who will submit the request to the University Council for consideration. Approval is subject to the following conditions:
The extension may not exceed one year at a time
The extension may be subject to passing a medical examination.
The University has reached a Redundancy Agreement with the Joint Campus Trade Unions which defines the procedures to be adopted in the event of the need to implement redundancies affecting support staff.
17. INFORMATION CONCERNING EMPLOYEES
Information concerning an employee's private affairs shall not be supplied to any unauthorised person unless the consent of such employee is first obtained.
18. REMOVAL, RELOCATION & RESETTLEMENT EXPENSES
Newly appointed staff are required to establish their homes within reasonable daily travelling distance to and from the University within one year of taking up an appointment.
The University operates a Removal, Relocation and Resettlement scheme to assist newly appointed staff in meeting this requirement which is attached to this statement.
19. SUBSISTENCE ALLOWANCES AND TRAVELLING EXPENSES
The University shall reimburse reasonable travelling and subsistence expenditure incurred by members of staff on approved University business in accordance with the scheme approved by the Council and incorporated in the University’s Financial Regulations, a copy of which is available for inspection in Schools/Departments.
20. TRADE UNION MEMBERSHIP
The following Trades Unions are formally recognised for negotiation of the terms and conditions of the employment of those staff covered by the national agreements.
Manual Staff GMB and T&GWU
Trades Staff AMICUS - AEEU
However, it is not a condition of employment that a member of staff should be a member of a Trade Union.
The attention of newly appointed staff is drawn to their duty to adhere to the University’s Policy Statement on Health and Safety and related Policies (Policy on Smoking and Policies on HIV/AIDS), and, specifically, to their duty to act responsibly and to do everything they can to prevent injury to themselves and others.
Newly appointed staff should also be aware that no equipment or materials should be brought into the University at any time without the express written consent of the Head of School/Department.
Accidents however minor occurring whilst on duty must be reported as soon as practicable to Human Resources on the appropriate form.
The University is working towards becoming an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to ensuring that all individuals are selected, promoted and otherwise treated solely on the basis of their relative merits and abilities and are given equal opportunities within the University.
Every employee of the University has an individual responsibility to ensure that University’s Policy, Code of Practice and Guidelines on Equal Opportunities in Employment is effective.
23. INSURANCE
Employees providing private property for the purpose of carrying out their University duties must obtain express written consent of the Head of School/Department and are advised to seek the advice of the Finance Office with regard to insurance cover for loss and/or damage.
24. CHANGES TO TERMS AND CONDITIONS/REFERENCE DOCUMENTS
This statement includes agreements negotiated by, and which may subsequently be changed by, the National Joint Council for Local Government Services with the Local Government Association representing the Universities; side and GMB and T&GWU/AMICUS representing employees.
From time to time variations in terms and conditions of employment will result from negotiations and agreement with the above Trades Unions. These will be notified to employees.
Various terms and conditions of employment appropriate to particular jobs and grades apply in addition to those referred to in this statement. They are contained in the rules and regulations of the Council of the University in force for the time being, a copy of which is available for inspection in Human Resources.
HR/00/34(1)
(HR Master Documents\Terms&Conditions\condman&trades)
04/01/2001
