Employment Tribunal Side Members: Extension of Terms of Office

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A decision made 30 April 2012:

Decision Reference: MD-S-2012-0029
Decision Summary Title :	DS JET extensions		Date of Decision Summary:	16 April 2012
Decision Summary Author:	Policy Principal		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	N/A
Written Report Title :	WR JET extensions		Date of Written Report:	16 April 2012
Written Report Author:	Policy Principal		Written Report : Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: Employment Tribunal Side Members – Extension of terms of office
Decision(s): The Minister decided to present a written Report notifying the States that the terms of office of two Side Members of the Jersey Employment Tribunal will be extended.
Reason(s) for decision: Regulation 4(2) of the Employment Tribunal (Jersey) Regulations, 2005, as amended by the Employment Tribunal (Amendment No. 2) (Jersey) Regulations 2011, provides that the Minister for Social Security may, upon the written request of a member and after consultation with the Jersey Appointments Commission, extend a member’s term of office. The terms of office of Mr Alan Hall and Mrs Susan Armes would expire on 30 June 2012. Each member has requested, and the Jersey Appointments Commission has approved, an extension so that the terms of office of the two members will each total 10 years. It is not necessary to request that the States approves the extensions; however the Minister wishes to present a Report notifying the States as a matter of good order.
Resource Implications: There are no financial or manpower implications.
Action required: Policy Principal to request that the Greffier of the States arranges for the Report to be presented to the States.
Signature:		Position: Minister
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Employment Tribunal Side Members: Extension of Terms of Office

REPORT TO BE PRESENTED BY

THE MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SECURITY

Employment Tribunal Members – Extension of terms of office

Background

In addition to a Chairman and a Deputy Chairman, sixteen Side Members may be appointed to the Jersey Employment Tribunal; up to eight ‘employee’ Side Members and up to eight ‘employer’ Side Members.

In 2005, the States approved the appointments of the first 14 members of the Employment Tribunal. Those terms were offered on a staggered basis, varying between one and five years, to ensure that the terms of those appointed did not expire on the same day, to provide continuity in the composition of the Tribunal.

The Employment Tribunal (Jersey) Regulations 2005, as amended by the Employment Tribunal (Amendment No.2) (Jersey) Regulations 2001, provide that members are appointed by the States for an initial term of up to five years. A member’s term of office may be extended by the Minister, after consultation with the Jersey Appointments Commission.

The Jersey Appointments Commission ‘Code of Practice for Appointments to Autonomous and Quasi-Autonomous Public Bodies and Tribunals’ states that “it is recommended that the term of office of a member should not exceed 10 years.”

Extended terms of office

Two Side Members whose terms on the Employment Tribunal would expire on 30 June 2012 have each requested that their term of office be extended to a total of 10 years. The Chairman of the Jersey Appointments Commission has agreed that the terms of office should be extended as requested

Mr Alan Hall retired from his position as an Internal Auditor for the Jersey Electricity Company in 2007 and has previously acted as Chairman and Secretary of the trade union Prospect. Mr Hall has served 7 years as an Employment Tribunal Side Member and his term of office will be extended to 30 June 2015.

Mrs Susan Armes is the Human Resources Director of the Seymour Hotels Group and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Mrs Armes has served 7 years as an Employment Tribunal Side Member and her term of office will be extended to 30 June 2015.