Pay Negotiations

Summary

The request sought attendance records for former Public Services Commission Chair Kate Lord-Brennan regarding union pay negotiations and other meetings between September 2021 and December 2024. The authority disclosed that she attended 5 pay negotiation meetings and 4 other direct meetings with unions, while noting that earlier negotiations were officer-led and the Chair was not present.

Key Facts

• Kate Lord-Brennan served as Chair of the Public Services Commission from October 2021 to November 2024.
• She attended 5 meetings with Unite the Union and Prospect specifically for pay negotiations.
• She attended 4 additional meetings with the unions that were not defined as pay negotiations.
• Prior to July 2022, PSC pay negotiations were officer-led, meaning the Chair was not present.
• The PSC secretariat function currently sits within the Cabinet Office, which may hold additional records.

Data Disclosed

• 5 occasions
• 4 occasions
• October 2021
• November 2024
• July 2022
• September 2021
• December 2024
• 4343550
• 2 January 2025
• 29 January 2025

Original Request

Dear Sir, Please may you provide me with the number of times that the former Chair of the Public Services Commission, Kate Lord-Brennan met with the unions in pay negotiations and was present in the meeting, as per the attendance record within the minutes of the meetings. Please may you also provide me with any additional meetings between the former Chair of the Public Services Commission, Kate Lord-Brennan which were not specifically defined as pay negotiations but was a chance for Prospect and Unite to speak directly with Ms Lord-Brennan, similarly sticking exclusively to attendance records found within any minutes of the meetings. This request relates to the entire time of which Kate Lord-Brennan was the Chair of the Public Services Commission (September 2021 - December 2024). Thanks.

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Our ref: 4343550 29 January 2025

Dear ###

We write further to your request, received 2 January 2025, which states:

"Dear Sir,

Please may you provide me with the number of times that the former Chair of the Public Services Commission, Kate Lord-Brennan met with the unions in pay negotiations and was present in the meeting, as per the attendance record within the minutes of the meetings.

Please may you also provide me with any additional meetings between the former Chair of the Public Services Commission, Kate Lord-Brennan which were not specifically defined as pay negotiations but was a chance for Prospect and Unite to speak directly with Ms Lord-Brennan, similarly sticking exclusively to attendance records found within any minutes of the meetings.

This request relates to the entire time of which Kate Lord-Brennan was the Chair of the Public Services Commission (September 2021 - December 2024).

Thanks."

I have detailed below the information that is held.
In her tenure as Chair of the Public Services Commission from October 2021 – November 2024, the former Chair Kate Lord-Brennan met with Unite the Union and Prospect on 5 occasions for the purposes of pay negotiations and on 4 occasions which were not specifically defined as pay negotiations but were a chance for Prospect and Unite to speak directly with Ms Lord-Brennan.
As per the PSC Act 2015, PSC pay negotiations can be, and are delegated to non- political members of the PSC and officers within the Office of Human Resources. You may wish to note that previous to July 2022, PSC pay negotiations were officer-led and therefore the Chair would not have been present.

Currently, the PSC secretariat function sits within the Cabinet Office. You therefore may wish to contact or make an FOI request to the Cabinet Office (CABO) who may have additional records of meetings.

Please note under Schedule 1 of the FOI Act 2015, CABO is a separate Public Authority.

Please quote the reference number 4343550 in any future communications.

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I will now close your request as of this date.