New harmonised and non-discriminating terms and conditions of employment for staff of The Highland Council have been agreed and will be implemented no later than 1 October 2010.
Following a ballot, trade unions have accepted collective agreement on the Council's proposals and the wording of the agreement will soon be signed by all parties.
The introduction of the new terms and conditions follow the implementation of a new pay and grading structure. This ensures the Council complies fully with the national single status agreement and that men and women are treated equally in all areas of pay.
The Council currently operates a variety of terms and conditions of employment that have been in place since 1996 when the Regional and District Councils were brought together to form The Highland Council. This means that certain conditions of service can vary from Service to Service or from location to location and these variances may be potentially discriminatory.
The Council was clear that this situation could not continue and has worked with the trade unions to reach a collective agreement to implement the new terms and conditions. This will ensure that all staff (Manual Workers, APT&C staff and Residential staff ) are covered by the same conditions of service regardless of Service or location.
Councillor Carolyn Wilson, chairman of the Council's Resources Committee said: "The agreement is the result of detailed and constructive discussions with the trade unions and I am delighted that we now have an agreement that ensures a consistent approach across the Council to terms and conditions of employment."