University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Conditions of Service for KTP Staff

Transcription

1 University of Newcastle upon Tyne Conditions of Service for KTP Staff 1. The appointment is a full-time one unless otherwise stated in the letter of appointment and will be for the period stated in the letter of appointment. Salaries are payable monthly in arrears on the last bank working day of the month. 2. All new appointments are subject to a twelve month probationary period. 3. Because of the nature of the work, the University does not specify any terms or conditions relating to hours of work, within the meaning of the Employment Rights Act Working time is regarded as undefined and staff are expected to manage their own time to achieve the objectives of their position, where the parameters of the working week are determined locally by the host company. No member of staff will be required to work in excess of 48 hours per week. 4. Annual Leave entitlement will be in line with the policies of the host company, whose procedures for taking leave will apply. The University will not normally make payment in lieu of holiday either during or on the termination of an appointment and annual leave must therefore be taken prior to the termination of the appointment. 5. In the event of absence from work due to sickness, a member of staff is entitled to sick leave with full payment of salary, inclusive of SSP, subject to the deduction of any other state sickness or incapacity benefit received or deemed to be receivable. Entitlement to paid sick leave is dependent on length of service, according to the following table and is determined on the first day of the absence period, taking account of any absence over the preceding 12 months. Length of continuous service Paid sick leave Less than 6 months service 8 weeks 6 months or more but less than 18 months 13 weeks 18 months or more but less than 24 months 18 weeks 24 months service or more 26 weeks Where a member of staff is absent from work due to sickness s/he must comply with the following reporting procedure: Staff absent from work for any reason must notify by telephone their Supervisor/Manager or a designated person before the start of their normal working day, but certainly within 2 hours of their normal start time. For staff who work undefined hours, absence must be communicated by am at the latest. The call should indicate the possible duration of the absence so that appropriate cover arrangements can be made. Failure to follow the notification procedure may result in the loss of occupational sick pay. Page 1 of 5

2 In cases of all sickness absence for up to and including 7 calendar days, which may include Saturday and Sundays, employees must complete a Self Certification Form and return it to their Supervisor/Manager. Sickness absence for 8 calendar days or more must be covered by a Doctor s Medical Certificate. It is the responsibility of the employee to forward Medical Certificates regularly and promptly to their Supervisor/Manager. If the Medical Certificate is dated after the first day of sickness absence then employees must complete a Self Certification Form to cover this period. Further details of absence notification and reporting procedures are contained in the University s sickness absence policy and procedures which can be found on the Human Resources web pages, or may be obtained from the Human Resources Section. 6. The member of staff will be enrolled into the Universities' Superannuation Scheme (USS) with effect from the commencement of their employment. Staff who are or become members of the USS are currently contracted-out of the State Second Pension scheme and pay National Insurance contributions at a lower rate than those who are not members. Note: Information about pension arrangements is appended to this document. 7. The University does not operate a fixed retirement age for its employees. Retirement plans should be discussed in the context of the regular Performance Development Reviews but employment will normally terminate after the appropriate notice has been given by the employee. Further information and guidance on pensions and the possible options around retirement is available on the Human Resources web pages or from the Payroll Section (Finance) or Human Resources Section. 8. Should there be any question of an appointment to an established post at a later date it must be understood that the salary offered would be related to the salaries of other established staff. 9. The person appointed shall not, in connection with any invention, patent, or process of manufacture, have authority to make representations on behalf of the University or to enter into any contract in the like behalf or to be concerned in the like behalf in any transactions whatsoever relating thereto without the express consent of the University. 10. The person appointed shall not retain or accept any other employment or appointment which involves substantial calls upon his/her time or energies without the agreement or his/her Head of School and the Vice-Chancellor. 11. The person appointed has the following rights with regard to Trade Union membership: a) the right to be a member of such trade union as he/she may choose; b) where he/she is a member of a trade union, the right, at any appropriate time, to take part in the activities of the trade union (including any activities Page 2 of 5

3 as, or with a view to becoming an official of the trade union) and the right to seek or accept appointment or election, and (if appointed or elected) to hold office as such an official. 12. In the event of a grievance the Associate should in the first instance seek redress with the person to whom he/she is immediately responsible, within the host company. If the matter is not resolved, the matter should be taken up with the academic supervisor. Further information on grievance and disciplinary procedures is available from the Human Resources web pages. 13. The terms of this appointment may be varied only by a formal letter from the Human Resources Section. 14. In the terms of an agreement between the Council of the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Newcastle Local Association of the Association of University Teachers the Association is the sole bargaining agent. 15. The conditions of service and general information that have been drawn up are in accord with the requirements of the Employment Rights Act This appointment is terminable by giving appropriate notice, depending on the length of continuous service. Where the period of continuous service is less than two years at the date of termination, one month's notice is required from either side; if continuous service is two years or more, three months' notice is required from either side. Such notice of termination must be given in writing. RJCB 15/07/2011 Page 3 of 5

4 INFORMATION ABOUT USS PENSION ARRANGEMENTS (for regular contracts) NEW APPOINTMENTS Subject to the exceptions referred to below, and to the conditions of their employment, new members of staff will, immediately on starting their employment, join the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). Members of staff employed on a regular contract of employment will be automatically enrolled into the USS and will be deemed to have been in membership from the start of their contract. Initially, you will join USS on a contributory basis. After 3 months membership, we will review your situation and, where appropriate, you will be changed to a non-contributory Pensions+ member. Your salary will be reduced by a salary sacrifice equivalent to the member contribution rate (further information is available in the Summary of the USS). Members of staff not employed on a regular contract should refer to the terms of their engagement. If you were a member of the USS in a previous employment, before joining Newcastle University, and have not received a refund of contributions or transferred your benefits out of the scheme your USS membership will normally continue, and will be as a non-contributory Pensions+ member from the start of your employment. Withdrawals You will have the option to withdraw from the USS within the first three months of membership. You will need to download the Notice to opt out of pension saving from the USS website and send the completed form to the Payroll and Pensions Office, King s Gate. If you withdraw from USS within three months of the date of the commencement of your employment, your withdrawal from the Scheme will have retrospective effect to that date and you will be deemed never to have been a member of USS. In that event any contributions you have made to USS will be repaid less a tax deduction in respect of tax relief you received on your contribution whilst a member of USS. An adjustment to your National Insurance contributions, effective from the date you joined the USS, will be made to reinstate your State Second Pension. If you decide to withdraw from USS later than three months after the date of commencement of your employment you will be required to give notice in writing to the University by completing the appropriate withdrawal form obtainable from the Payroll Section. If you withdraw with less than 2 years pensionable service you may be eligible for a refund of your own contributions, subject to a deduction of tax and national insurance contributions. Pensions+ members are not eligible for a refund of contributions. If you decide to withdraw from the USS your decision will not be irrevocable. You will be able to join the USS at any time during your employment while you are aged under State Pension Age. Eligibility to join the USS is constrained by the exceptions referred to below. Page 4 of 5

5 EXCEPTIONS If you are already in receipt of a USS retirement pension, you will not be able to rejoin the scheme. If you meet the auto-enrolment criteria you will be enrolled into the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST). If you are currently receiving a USS Incapacity retirement pension, you should inform USS Ltd of your employment as they may need to withdraw or suspend your pension. In those circumstances, you will be automatically enrolled into the Career Revalued Benefits section of the USS, however terms and conditions may be imposed by the USS. Further information is available from the Payroll & Pensions Section (ext 5102). Page 5 of 5