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General Secretary’s report July 2017.
3
2.13
We are in discussion with Morrish solicitors as to the areas of assistance they will
be able to provide for the project.
2.14
Myself and the Operations Manager have agreed to meet on a quarterly basis to
consider in detail all of the actions that need to take place to maintain the hotel business the
nursery business and of course to promote the GF TU shared services and education
programme. Our objective will be to ensure that the financial targets on which the whole
newbuild was based i.e. £85,000 from the new houses per annum, £70,000 from the nursery
per annum, £200,000 from the hotel per annum are guaranteed after the first year of
operation.
These figures have to be the crucial targets which the EC should continually
assess and plan to achieve. It is important to be exceptionally rigourous and vigilant on
these matters.
2.15
The nursery directors about hotel directors are of course centrally considering these
matters.
2.16
Currently the education trust owns the whole of the Quorn Grange site. The nursery,
GFTU, and hotel trading company all operate on the site without lease agreements. We must
amend this situation quickly and parcel up ownership of the site in order to take the greatest
benefit from any future loan arrangements for the newbuild. This work is underway with the
solicitors.
3
Staffing.
3.1
Three new staff have joined the organisation. Our new education officer John Callow, and
our new education administrator Shazia Begum, allocate 100% of their time to the
educational trust. Our new part-time Office Support Worker Sally Minton has 100% of her
time allocated to the GF TU.
3.2
Induction arrangements and plans and probationary period systems are being implemented
for all new staff. A full meeting has been held with the new staff team. Additional meetings
have been held with the Senior Management Team following a report I produced for them.
3.3
One member of staff, Daniella Tedds, will go on maternity leave in August. We wish her well.
3.4
In order to ensure that the finance team continues to be in a position to expand its work and
support for affiliate’s and undertake its internal work more effectively some recent
reorganisation of job descriptions has taken place. Daniella Tedds has moved into the
finance team to assist with bookkeeping. Shamil Karia has had a pay rise in order to take on
some of the work of ICT and to be the first point of interface with our third-party ICT
contractors.
3.5
Discussions with our operations manager Ian Richards have led to a revised job description
in order to focus on three key priority areas over the coming period. There will be a
concentration on marketing and promoting all elements of our organisation and monitoring
and developing the work with our commercial partners and shared services. The operations
manager will also continue to act as the HR manager to give advice and support to other