Cockamamy Council

Reports from South Lanarkshire keep coming in to me every day - apparently the Council is now embarked on a further 'review' of many traditional male council jobs.

I presume this is in response to recent developments on the Freedom of Information (FOI) front  and/or at the Employment Tribunals although I fail to understand how the Council can review a pay scheme - which the Employment Tribunal has previously described as 'unfit for purpose'.

But if this is true - then it's a quite astonishing turn around.

Because the Council has been saying for years that there are no outstanding pay issues to resolve in South Lanarkshire - and that these were all taken care of many years ago with the introduction of its in-house, 555 Job Evaluation Scheme (JES).

In which case why would the council be scuttling around now - carrying out a further round of reviews - but in relation to only some of its male dominated jobs?

So is it really a proper JES review - or is it just a cynical attempt to change people's terms, conditions and their contracts of employment? 

Another interesting question is whether or not the trade unions are involved in this process - because in order to change or modify a collective agreement - an employer has to consult with and agree any proposed changes with the recognised unions.

In other words an employer can't just come along and introduce changes - big or small - without the collective agreement of the recognised trade unions - not lawfully anyway.

Because that's what  collective bargaining is all about - joint or 'collective' agreement from the employers and trade unions on both sides of the bargaining table.

And in order for trade unions to give their consent to any new collective agreement - they must obviously consult and ask their members whether they consent to the proposed changes - having first of all explained their significance and what they mean.

In 1999, for example, Unison conducted a full ballot of its 100,000 local government members in Scotland - before finally approving the 1999 Single Status (Equal Pay) Agreement, as you would expect. 

Which begs the question - 'What exactly are the trade unions up to and what do they have to say about any further job reviews in South Lanarkshire?'

The importance of the answer to this question is that without a new collective agreement with the trade unions - an employer would have to seek the agreement of individual employees before any contractual changes could be introduced.

And without a new collective agreement - supported by the trade unions - an employer is forced down the road of individual bargaining which is not good news - especially if they're in a big hurry.

So, if I were a trade union member in South Lanarkshire - I would use this information to good effect by asking some pointed questions - about why this is all happening in such secrecy, for example. 

I would also refuse to agree to any new contractual changes without proper advice, in writing, from someone who knows what they're talking about - and has both the knowledge and skills to issue such advice.