Divided We Fall

Trade unions are always banging on about the importance of National Agreements - and for good reason.

Because the employers have much greater resources to call upon - as a general rule - than the trade unions, particularly at a local level.

So it makes sense to stick together - to use the expertise and resources embodied in  National Agreements - instead of strking out on your own where you are likely to get picked off. 

In which case you need to ask yourself why the trade unions in South Lanarkshire gave their support to a local 'in-house' job evaluation scheme (JES) in 2004?

Especially when a bespoke national scheme had been developed for use by Scottish councils - with national trade union support.

Now the local South Lanarkshire scheme has come unstuck which is hardly suprising.

Because it is the opposite of 'open and transparent' which a JES should be - yet no one in South Lanarkshire can tell what anyone else gets paid - when it comes to the council's traditional male jobs. 

But everyone knows of course that certain relatively unskilled jobs such as refuse collectors, gardeners and grave diggers - are paid more than carers, classroom assistants and other school based workers with very responsible, demanding jobs.

Which begs the question: 'Why did the trade unions in South Lanarkshire go down this path in 2004 without seeking detailed advice from their national officials? 

Why did the trade unions not publish a detailed rank order of jobs - to show the 'before and after' effect of the Single Status proposals in South Lanarkshire?

Because anyone with an ounce of common sense and a proper understanding of Scotland's  1999 Single Status (Equal Pay) Agreement - would have told them not to proceed.

Not least because the 1999 National Agreement does not contain any provision to permanently preserve - or protect for life - the much higher (bonus related earnings) of traditional male jobs.