North Lanarkshire Update

A reader from North Lanarkshire has been in touch to ask about the recent tribunal hearing involving Sheltered Housing Wardens, Clerical Assistants and Classroom Assistants.

"Great news to hear North Lanarkshire have settled for Clerical Workers. Thank you for your support.

"Is there a timescale or someone I can contact regarding letters of offers to us."

The position is that a settlement has now been achieved for Sheltered Housing Wardens and Clerical Assistants and the Employment Tribunal will formally sign off this award on 9 May 2016.

The Council then has two weeks in which to comply with the tribunal award and letters will then be sent out to all A4ES clients as soon as these details are confirmed.

So there is no need to do anything at the moment - just sit tight until further notice.

North Lanarkshire has, of course, dug its heels in over Classroom Assistants even though there is only 1 point of a gap with their chosen male comparator, so for that group the fight continues - see posts below.

A Case Study (27/04/16)

Here is a comparison of the Factor Level scores for the jobs of Classroom Assistant and Gardener (2) in North Lanarkshire Council.

1. Working Environment (WE) - 1
2. Physical Coordination (PC) - 2
3. Physical Effort (PE) - 2
4. Mental Skills (MS) - 1
5. Concentration (CON) - 2
6. Communications Skills (COMMS) - 2 
7. Dealing with Relationships (DWR) - 2
8. Responsibility for Employees (EMP) - 1
9. Responsibility for Services to Others (STO) - 2 
10. Responsibility for Financial Resources (FIN) - 1
11. Responsibility for Physical and Information Resources (PIR) - 1
12. Initiative and Independence (I&I) - 2 
13. Knowledge (KN) - 3

The total score for Classroom Assistants is 260 points (remember Factor Levels are 'weighted') which resulted in a grade of NLC 4 under North Lanarkshire's 2006/07 job evaluation scheme (JES).

1. Working Environment (WE) - 2
2. Physical Coordination (PC) - 3
3. Physical Effort (PE) - 4
4. Mental Skills (MS) - 1
5. Concentration (CON) - 2
6. Communications Skills (COMMS) - 1 
7. Dealing with Relationships (DWR) - 1
8. Responsibility for Employees (EMP) - 1
9. Responsibility for Services to Others (STO) - 2 
10. Responsibility for Financial Resources (FIN) - 1
11. Responsibility for Physical and Information Resources (PIR) - 2
12. Initiative and Independence (I&I) - 1
13. Knowledge (KN) - 2

The total score for Gardener 2 is 261 points (remember Factor Levels are 'weighted') which also resulted in a grade of NLC 4.

Now I have to say I find some of these comparative scores very surprising.

For example, the fact that the two jobs receive the same scores for Concentration (CON) and  Responsibility for Services to Others (STO) - and that a Gardener's job scores more highly that a Classroom Assistant for Responsibility for Physical and Information Resources.

But most surprising of all is how Labour-run North Lanarkshire Council can say that a Classroom Assistant is not of 'equal value' to a Gardener (prior to 2006/07) when the two jobs both ended up on the same grade of NLC 4.

Seems completely crazy, if you ask me.

NLC Update (24/04/16)

Great news for some more of the A4ES clients in North Lanarkshire who are still fighting for equal pay.

North Lanarkshire has finally conceded the 'equal value' argument in respect of Sheltered Housing Wardens and Clerical Assistants, so next week's hearing will still go ahead, but on the basis of determining an appropriate remedy for the A4ES claimants involved.

Date - Wednesday 27th April 2016

Time - 10 am

Venue - Eagle Building, 215 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, G2 7TS

The Council is still sticking to its argument that Classroom Assistants are not of equal value to a Gardener (2), so the fight will go on for this particular group.

Welcoming the news Stefan Cross QC said:

"We are delighted that North Lanarkshire Council has finally come to its senses in respect of  Sheltered Housing Wardens and Clerical Assistants and we will ensure that the awards for these two groups are now implemented as quickly as possible. 

"Where appropriate, the awards will be made on a pensionable basis which means that claimants will have equality of access to the Local Government Pension Scheme.

"For reasons best known to itself the Council is stubbornly refusing to agree that the job of a Classroom Assistant is of equal value to that of a Refuse Collector. I find it incredible that a Labour council is splitting hairs over two jobs that are separated by just one single point on the council's job evaluation scheme which was severely criticised at the long-running Glasgow Employment Tribunal.

"I suspect that many people will find it very hard to accept that a Classroom Assistant's job on 260 points is not worth at least the same as a Gardener (2) on 261 points"

Now I am familiar with the duties and responsibilities of both of these jobs, from my previous union experience with NUPE and my role as Head of Local Government for Unison in Scotland.

So if you ask me, there's no way that a Classroom Assistant's job doesn't measure up to to the work done by a council gardener.