Job Evaluation 3 (10/12/07)
Take grade NLC 6. Now this is not a very high grade - nor does it pay a king's ransom - but it does epitomise how male and female jobs have been treated so very differently - under a scheme that was intended to improve the position of many women's jobs - which had been undervalued for years.
Some Traditional Male Jobs on NLC 6
Cleansing Chargehand
Estates Maintenance Worker 4
Gardener 3
Gravedigger 3
Chargehand Estate Worker
Driver 2 (Refuse Driver)
Now all of these people carry out vital and important jobs - and no one is demeaning the work they do - the real issue is why are they treated so differently?
Because if the truth be told - all of these jobs are old-fashioned manual worker jobs that have existed for years - jobs that were graded at no more than Manual Worker 4 under the old grading structure - jobs that were on a lower grade than a Home Carer, Cook or even a School Janitor.
Yet, there are female dominated jobs by the barrow load - which require much more in terms of skill, responsibility or qualifications than the male jobs - but the women's jobs have just been stuck on the same grade (NLC 6) or, in many cases, even lower grades. Here are some examples:
Female Dominated Jobs on NLC 6
Cook
Catering Manager
Social Care Worker
Admin/Finance Assistant
Secretary
How can these jobs possibly be regarded as doing work of the same value as a Refuse Driver or Gravedigger?
Female Dominated Jobs on NLC 5
Senior Clerk
Library Resource Centre Supervisor
Senior Creche Worker
Project Administrator
How can these jobs possibly be regarded as doing work of less value than a Refuse Driver or Gravedigger?
Female Jobs on NLC 4
Classroom Assistant
Community Warden
Care Support Worker
Bus Escort
Word Processing Supervisor
SEN Assistant
How can these jobs possibly be regarded as doing work of less value than a Refuse Driver or Gravedigger?
So, the upshot is that North Lanarkshire is getting away with murder - its job evaluation scheme is shot full of holes and contradictions - and women workers are still treated less favourably than the men.
