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Joint Report of the Council and the General Board on an amendment to Statute D, I to establish part-time offices

The COUNCIL and the GENERAL BOARD beg leave to report to the University as follows:

1. The Part-time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations (effective 1 July 2000) make it unlawful for employers to treat part-time employees less favourably than comparable full-time employees in their terms and conditions of employment (unless different treatment can be objectively justified). Under Statute D, II, 6(c), academic and academic-related officers may be granted leave to work part-time, but not for a period of more than three years in the first instance.1 Statute D therefore requires amendment if the competent authority is to be able to make an appointment permanently on a part-time basis, as the regulations clearly envisage.

2. In addition, under the Employment Act 2002, the Government is introducing, with effect from 6 April 2003, regulations giving parents of young or disabled children the right to apply for flexible working, including working part-time. Although there is no automatic right for an employee to be given flexible working, employers are required to follow a procedure which ensures that requests are considered seriously. The Council and the General Board will circulate in the near future detailed guidance on the regulations for flexible working under the Employment Act 2002. They will also bring forward as a Report to the University proposals for amendments to the flexible working arrangements so as to accommodate as fully as possible the new right to request flexible working.

3. As a pre-requisite, and in particular to ensure full compliance with the Part-Time Workers Regulations, the Council and the Board wish to propose a necessary change to Statute D, I, which will allow the establishment of part-time offices for fixed terms or on a permanent basis, as appropriate. It should be noted that individuals appointed to a part-time office would have no automatic right to convert to full-time work (as is the case for those granted leave to work part-time under Statute D, II, 6(c)).

4. The Council and the General Board recommend:

That, subject to the approval of Her Majesty in Council, the Statutes of the University be amended as follows; and that the proposed amendment be submitted under the Common Seal of the University to Her Majesty in Council for approval:

Statute D

Chapter I

Section 1.

By inserting the following new subsection:

(e) The competent authority may establish offices on a part-time basis.
24 February 2003 ALEC N. BROERS, Vice-ChancellorD. S. INGRAMG. A. REID
 R. J. ANDERSONIAN LESLIEM. SCHOFIELD
 R. J. BARNESPAUL LEWISALEX SWALLOW
 JOHN BOYDD. W. MACDONALDLIBA TAUB
 D. A. GOODMARTIN REESJ. M. WHITEHEAD

12 February 2003 ALEC N. BROERS, Vice-ChancellorM. J. DAUNTONA. C. MINSON
 N. O. A. BULLOCKMALCOLM GRANTKATE PRETTY
 H. A. CHASES. LEATON GRAYM. SCHOFIELD
 KATIE CHILDS D. MACDONALD S. J. YOUNG
 ANDREW CLIFF  

1 See the Joint Report of the Council of the Senate and the General Board on the introduction of flexible working arrangements for University officers (Reporter, 1990-91, p. 363 et seq.) and the subsequent Notice on flexible working arrangements, (Reporter, 1991-92, p. 108).


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Cambridge University Reporter, 26 February 2003
Copyright © 2002 The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge.