**STOP PRESS**
A kind reader has been in touch to say that has received an explanation, of sorts at least, from her trade union about the new grades arising from the late-running NLC job evaluation (JE) review and where people are being placed on their new pay scales.
Apparently, the trade unions' position is that employees are automatically placed at the bottom of the appropriate spinal column, if their job is upgraded following a JE exercise.
Now I haven't seen this advice as yet, but the whole point about the recent job evaluation in North Lanarkshire is that the latest JE Review is intended to correct the mess that was made last time around in 2006/07.
So these are not really 'new' grades in the normal sense of the word, but grades that should have been in place many years ago.
In which case putting people to the bottom of the pay scale is not the right thing to do, if you ask me.
