TUPE Transfer to CoSocius Limited Managers Briefing

26/11/2013

TUPE Transfer to CoSocius Limited

Managers Briefing

Detailed below is a brief which you should use to brief your teams on the transfer over to CoSocius. The brief below confirms the information that has been sent to affected employees. Please note that you will need to ensure that anybody who is currently absent due to sickness or maternity will also need to be briefed. This should not include any temporary employees or gateway to work staff who have a contract end date prior to 1^st April 2014. In addition Agency staff and Sopra staff are not included in this briefing and we will at a later date undertake a specific briefing for this group of staff.

Please ensure that you ask all employees to sign and return the slip which was attached to their letter. A further copy of this slip is also attached to this brief.

As you will know CoSocius Limited is planned to be in operation on 1^st April 2014. As you currently work in a service that is designated to move over to CoSocius, under the Transfer of Undertaking (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 or TUPE as it is more commonly referred to, we have a duty to inform you of the transfer and to consult with your union in relation to any proposed changes which may occur as a result of the proposal to move your employment from Cheshire West and Chester Council or Cheshire East Council to CoSocius.

You will have received a letter from your Council which explains that it is proposed that your role transfers to CoSocius Limited. You have been sent this letter because your job role is in a service where it is proposed that this will be run by CoSocius in the future. The services that it is proposed will transfer to the Company include:

Architecture Services

Programme and Project Services

Application Services

Service Delivery

Business Information Development

Payments and Income

Sourcing Contracts and Pay

We anticipate that these services will transfer to CoSocius on 1^st April 2014.

What will this mean for me?

It will mean that you will be employed by CoSocius Limited and no longer work directly for Cheshire West and Chester Council or Cheshire East Council. Coscius will be wholly owned by both Cheshire West and Cheshire East Councils and will provide the services on behalf of the Council. The Councils will still therefore have influence on how the organisation is run and managed. There will be no immediate change to the way in which you are employed, however CoSocius may seek to change the way in which it works in the future. You will still continue to support the same customers and have the same manager and colleagues. If there are to be any changes then you will be fully consulted upon these by CoSocius.

It is important that you have an opportunity to raise any concerns that you may have with me and I would ask that you complete and sign the slip that was sent with your letter to confirm if you would like to meet with me on an individual basis to discuss the proposed transfer of your employment, if you are in the trade union then your trade union representative can be present or a work colleague if you wish, HR may also be present.

By signing this slip, you are also confirming that you agree to your personal data being released to CoSocius Limited.

We have already started to bring together the responses to some of the TUPE questions that you have already asked and these are available on share point. These have been supplemented with other questions you may want to know the answer to. We understand that you may have lots of questions about the transfer and therefore I ask that you submit any questions that you have directly to me. The answers will then be included on the list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s), which will be updated on a regular basis. The trade unions, both UNISON and GMB, have received a copy of the information that you have been sent.

Next steps.

The Councils will continue to keep you informed of progress, and will continue to consult with the trade unions on a two weekly basis, particularly about any proposed changes and measures CoSocius intend to make post transfer. The measures will be set out in writing to you in a further letter planned for January.

Timetable

End October Letter sent to inform staff of transfer

Beginning November One to One consultation meetings with staff

Nov/Dec Consultation meetings with Trade Unions ongoing

January Letter sent to staff to include measures

Jan/Feb One to One consultation meetings with staff

Jan/Feb/Mar Consultation meetings with Trade Unions ongoing

1 April 2014 Date of transfer

I have received a letter notifying me that my role will be transferring to CoSocius Limited and agree to my personal information being transferred to them and:

	I would like to arrange an individual meeting with my manager
	I would not like to arrange an individual meeting with my manager but I would like to raise the following question:

Please print your question here or email to

Signed
Print Name
Service
Date

Please sign and return this slip to your Manager.