North Lanarkshire Update

A number of readers from North Lanarkshire have been in touch to say that emails enquiries they've sent to the Council's chief executive, Paul Jukes, are being passed on to Anne Burns, the new head of human resources at NLC.

Now this is quite disgraceful if you ask me, because the buck stops with the chief executive who is paid a pretty penny as the Council's 'head of the paid service' and this back pay business is obviously a very big issue for the Home Support workforce who have been treated very shabbily for years.

After all this time you would have thought Mr Jukes would be able to give a speedy explanation as to why the Council is dragging its feet over equal pay all over again, instead of passing the buck to one of his underlings. 

I said some time ago that Anne Burns' appointment might be a good thing in view of the track record of her predecessor, Iris Wylie, but it looks as if I'll need to revisit my assessment   given this latest debacle - see previous posts to the blog site below.

So the fight continues and the task now is to involve the politicians and embarrass this 'cockamamy' Labour-run council into getting its finger out. 

 

North Lanarkshire Council (08/07/160

I've been contacted by more readers in North Lanarkshire who say that their letters to the Council's chief executive, Paul Jukes, are being responded to by someone called Anne Burns, the acting Head of Business (Organisational and People Solutions).

Now I don't know this person, but she seems to have replaced the former head of human resources, Iris Wylie, and if so, that may well be a good thing.

In any event Action 4 Equality Scotland has requested details of all the A4ES clients whose grades are affected by the JE Review to check the figures and calculations in relation to any backpay that is due. 

  

North Lanarkshire Update (07/07/16)

I have been contacted by a reader who says that and email she sent recently to North Lanarkshire's chief executive, Paul Jukes, has 'bounced back' as if the Council is blocking email access to its most senior official.  

Now I would be amazed if the Council had done such a thing because what happens if NLC employees were to write (by snail mail) to Paul Jukes - would his staff return people's letters marked 'NOT KNOWN AT THIS ADDRESS'?

I'll have to check things out myself, but I've always used: jukesp@northlan.gov.uk and I've never had a problem until now anyway.

So I'll send a test email and let people know how I get on although I've heard from other readers who say they've also contacted Mr Jukes and are still waiting on him to reply to their query regarding the JE Review.

As I've said before the best thing would be to share all the relevant information about the Council's JE Review so that employees can understand the logic and reasoning behind key aspects the re-grading exercise. 

"What happens if Mr Jukes' office is just blocking my email?" - asks another reader, clearly frustrated at what is going on.  

Well I don't know I have to admit because it's new territory for me - I've never come across anything like this before.

So I'll give it some thought and see what ideas I can come up with especially as people are only asking to be treated with a bit of dignity and respect. 

  

North Lanarkshire Update (05/07/16)

I have received a number of queries from readers in North Lanarkshire asking how they can notify Action 4 Equality Scotland of a change in their personal details, for example a change of address.

Well the way to do this is to send an email to: enquiries@action4equality.co.uk - and remember to include your National Insurance number for security purposes.

Lots of readers continue to raise queries about North Lanarkshire's job evaluation (JE) review and as I've said in previous posts the best thing to do is to put these issues in writing directly to the Council's chief executive, Paul Jukes.

As the 'head of the paid service' Mr Jukes has a duty to respond to issues raised with him by NLC employees whose jobs are affected by the JE Review. 

I imagine it would be a much better use of everyone's time for the Council to explain the details of the JE Review directly to the workforce and all of the claimant organisations involved, but unfortunately this has not happened so far at least.

The Council's chief executive can be contacted via the following email address: jukesp@northlan.gov.uk 

 

North Lanarkshire Update (04/07/16)

Here is a small selection of the many questions I've been asked about North Lanarkshire Council's late-running job evaluation (JE) review in recent days.

1. When will I receive any backpay I am due?
2. Why is my new grade not been backdated to 2007?
3. Why has my rate of pay not gone up as the Council said it would?
4. Why does my backpay not take into account my length of service?
5. Why is my grade less than other people doing the same job as me?
6. Why is my rate of pay less than other staff I am required to supervise?
7. Why is my rate of pay less than other people doing the same job as me?
8. Are male workers on the same grade as me now at the top of their grade?
9. What will happen to all the jobs which have been excluded from the JE Review?

Now I don't know the answers to these questions which is why I have advised people to contact the Council's chief executive, Paul Jukes, at the following email address: jukesp@northlan.gov.uk

The sensible course action is for the Council to publish full details of the JE Review, but so far the top brass has failed to do so - hence the importance of writing to Paul Jukes as the head of the paid service.

 

North Lanarkshire Update (01/07/16)

Here's a copy of an email I've just sent to the chief executive of North Lanarkshire Council's, Paul Jukes, at the following email address: jukes@northlan.gov.uk

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Irvine 
To: jukesp 
Sent: Fri, Jul 1, 2016
Subject: North Lanarkshire Council - Job Evaluation (JE) Review

Dear Paul

North Lanarkshire Council (NLC) - Job Evaluation (JE) Review

I have received literally hundreds of email and Facebook enquiries recently (from NLC employees) regarding the Council's late-running job evaluation (JE) review.

As I am sure you appreciate, the responsibility for answering people's queries and concerns lies with North Lanarkshire Council, as their employer, and not the trade unions. 

To my mind the best way to deal with this situation would be for the Council to publish full details of the JE Review on its web site and also to share this information with all claimant organisations, but as far as I know this has still to be done even though key aspects of the JE Review were announced to the press weeks ago.

So the Council workforce has lots of unanswered concerns and questions and no doubt you understand the importance of treating all NLC employees equally, regardless of whether or not they are members of a trade union.

In the circumstances, I plan to post this email on my blog site and redirect people towards you as the Council's chief executive and head of the paid service. If and when more sensible arrangements are made, I am happy to publicise these too since that would seem to me to be in everyone's best interests.

Kind regards

Mark Irvine

Now if you ask me there's no need for NLC employees to be given the 'run around' in this way and if proper arrangements were in place, there would be no need for people to bombard the Council's chief executive with huge numbers of individuals enquiries.

But until this does happen my advice to employees who have queries about the Council's late-running JE Review is to email Paul Jukes directly.

North Lanarkshire Update (30/06/16)

I said the other that that I was overwhelmed with enquiries about North Lanarkshire Council's late-running job evaluation (JE) review.

Not just that, I also explained that I was unable to answer most of these queries because the Council's senior management and the local trade unions are the 'architects' of the latest JE exercise - not Action 4 Equality Scotland (A4ES).

A4ES is attempting to clarify various issues with the Council, but so far at least the Council has been unable or unwilling to explain important aspects of the JE Review.

The efforts to get some sense out of North Lanarkshire Council will continue and any news will be reported on the blog site.

In the meantime, individual employees who are being given the run around may wish to drop a note to the Council's chief executive Paul Jukes who can be contacted at the following email address: jukesp@northlan.gov.uk

For the avoidance of any doubt equal pay claimants whose cases were previously handled by Stefan Cross Solicitors, Fox Cross Solicitors and Fox and Partners Solicitors are now being represented by Action 4 Equality Scotland Limited. 

North Lanarkshire Update (22/06/16)

I have received lots of enquiries from North Lanarkshire in the past 24 hours, via email and Facebook, regarding the Council's late-running job evaluation (JE) review.

Now I don't have the time or resources to respond to all of these queries on an individual basis which is why I tend to communicate with readers via the blog site.

I will do what I can to shed some light on aspects of the JE review that are causing people most concern, but I can't of course speak for the Council and/or the trade unions.

Nor can I necessarily explain the problems or anomalies about a 'deal' which the Council and the unions have struck between themselves, not least because many of the details are still unclear even at this late stage.  

So my advice to trade union members is to raise a query with your own trade union in the first instance, in writing, and keep a copy of your enquiry for future reference along with any response received.

For readers who are not in a trade union, your line manager is the first port of call and again I would raise any queries in writing (by email) rather than over the phone, for obvious reasons.