Glasgow JE Update
As regular readers know Glasgow City Council have begun the Job Evaluation (JE) process and employees in various job categories are being called to attend JE interviews.
Since September A4ES have been working to develop a work plan to support jobholders involved in this process and we have conducted interviews covering the following jobs:
- Support for Learning Workers
- Home Carers
- Child Development Officers
- Care Coordinators
A4ES is now beginning to work more closely with the other claimant organisations in order to support employees involved in the JE process and, for example, we are making good progress with GMB to support their members.
At the moment we are focusing on conducting interviews with the first wave group of jobs that the council have identified for assessment using the Scottish Joint Council (Gauge) JE scheme.
The Scottish Joint Council (Gauge) scheme was recommended for use by all Scottish councils, by the national trade unions and COSLA) way back in 1999.
Glasgow City Council decided not to use the SJC scheme and instead introduced its own, in-house WPBR scheme which was condemned as 'unfit for purpose' by the Court of Session, Scotland's highest civil court, in August 2017.
Glasgow City Council tried to overturn this decision by launching an appeal which was rejected by the Court of Session, again unanimously, in December 2017.
The Scottish Joint Council (Gauge) scheme was recommended for use by all Scottish councils, by the national trade unions and COSLA) way back in 1999.
Glasgow City Council decided not to use the SJC scheme and instead introduced its own, in-house WPBR scheme which was condemned as 'unfit for purpose' by the Court of Session, Scotland's highest civil court, in August 2017.
Glasgow City Council tried to overturn this decision by launching an appeal which was rejected by the Court of Session, again unanimously, in December 2017.
If you have any queries, or would like to find out more about what A4ES are doing, please contact Giuliana Mazzoni at:
Giuliana@action4equality.co.uk
Giuliana@action4equality.co.uk
Glasgow - Job Evaluation Update (21/10/19)
The latest news on Job Evaluation is that Team A4ES has a brand new member - Giuliana Mazzoni ('Jules' for short) - who will be working hard in the months ahead on behalf of Action 4 Equality Scotland clients during Glasgow City Council's job evaluation exercise.
Giuliana is a graduate of Glasgow University and has a degree in Business and Management with a specific focus on Human Resources.
So Jules not just smart and enthusiastic, she actually knows a thing or two about job evaluation and her role is to ensure that the jobs of A4ES claimants are presented in a way that accurately reflects the work you do.
Giuliana will be working with selected A4ES claimants, the other Claimant organisations and the Council, to ensure that your jobs are evaluated thoroughly and that the skills and responsibilities people use on a day-to-day basis are fully reflected in the job evaluation process.
Jules will also be closely involved with Mark Irvine, Karl Bromley and Stefan Cross QC on this vital A4ES project and will be in touch with A4ES clients directly to arrange meetings in the weeks ahead.
In the meantime, Giuliana can be contacted at the following email address:
Jules will also be closely involved with Mark Irvine, Karl Bromley and Stefan Cross QC on this vital A4ES project and will be in touch with A4ES clients directly to arrange meetings in the weeks ahead.
In the meantime, Giuliana can be contacted at the following email address:
Glasgow, Equal Pay and Dead Parrots (19/06/18)
The Evening Times reports that Glasgow City Council is finally accepting that its WPBR pay scheme really is a 'dead parrot'.
Now no mention is made of the fact that the Court of Session, Scotland's highest civil court, condemned Glasgow's WPBR pay arrangements as 'unfit for purpose' way back in August 2017 - after a huge legal battle.
Nor is any mention made of the fact that the Council's discredited pay scheme was only put to the sword after a fantastic campaign by Glasgow's equal pay claimants - supported by A4ES, GMB and Unison.
A casual reader of the Evening Times could be forgiven for thinking that this decision was reached by 'enlightened' council officials and political leaders who woke up one day and decided - all by themselves - that the workforce suddenly deserved fair and transparent pay arrangements, untainted by the blatant sex discrimination associated with the WPBR.
So since the Council is not giving credit where credit is due, let me say a big THANK YOU to the thousands of equal ay claimants across Glasgow who made this day possible.
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/16299112.Council_pay_and_grading_system_to_be_scrapped/
Glasgow City Council pay and grading system to be scrapped
By Stewart Paterson @PatersonHT - Evening Times
Equal Pay MFG
A SHAKE up of council staff pay and conditions is on the cards as the current system is to be scrapped.
Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council, said the workforce pay and benefits system, which is used to grade staff and determines wages and overtime rates is not fit for purpose.
The Workforce Pay and Benefits Review (WPBR)system is linked to the equal pay case which council officers are negotiating a settlement with unions and legal representatives of the claimants.
Writing in Today’s Evening Times Ms Aitken said that after talks with unions the council will be asked to give its approval to abandon the current WPBR and start work to create a whole new system.
It is likely the new system will be based on the Red Book which is an agreement used by most Scottish councils.
While it is hoped that negotiations will be concluded by the end of this year on the equal pay claims, the implementation of a new pay and grading structure will take much longer to implement.
Ms Aitken said: “Work on a fairer replacement will commence immediately after that and continue over the summer.
“Once identified, it would be two or three further years before it could be fully implemented. “We mustn’t repeat the mistakes of a decade ago and expose ourselves to fresh inequalities with another flawed system.
“This is what we are paying the price for. We need time to do this properly.”
Staff have been informed of the decision and work with the unions is expected to begin immediately.
The current grading system was introduced in 2007 and was supposed to deal with gender inequality in the light of equal pay claims but women workers argue it discriminates against them as female dominated jobs like home care are paid less than jobs which are dominated by men like cleansing.
It is expected that any changes in the new system will lead to greater value being placed on the work traditionally done by women workers.
Ms Aitken added: “As Council Leader I am committed to implementing a fully funded, fair and just pay and grading scheme which pays equally for equal work and which our employees have confidence in.”
The current pay and grading system was, at the time, agreed by the unions representing workers at the council.
Equal Pay MFG
A SHAKE up of council staff pay and conditions is on the cards as the current system is to be scrapped.
Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council, said the workforce pay and benefits system, which is used to grade staff and determines wages and overtime rates is not fit for purpose.
The Workforce Pay and Benefits Review (WPBR)system is linked to the equal pay case which council officers are negotiating a settlement with unions and legal representatives of the claimants.
Writing in Today’s Evening Times Ms Aitken said that after talks with unions the council will be asked to give its approval to abandon the current WPBR and start work to create a whole new system.
It is likely the new system will be based on the Red Book which is an agreement used by most Scottish councils.
While it is hoped that negotiations will be concluded by the end of this year on the equal pay claims, the implementation of a new pay and grading structure will take much longer to implement.
Ms Aitken said: “Work on a fairer replacement will commence immediately after that and continue over the summer.
“Once identified, it would be two or three further years before it could be fully implemented. “We mustn’t repeat the mistakes of a decade ago and expose ourselves to fresh inequalities with another flawed system.
“This is what we are paying the price for. We need time to do this properly.”
Staff have been informed of the decision and work with the unions is expected to begin immediately.
The current grading system was introduced in 2007 and was supposed to deal with gender inequality in the light of equal pay claims but women workers argue it discriminates against them as female dominated jobs like home care are paid less than jobs which are dominated by men like cleansing.
It is expected that any changes in the new system will lead to greater value being placed on the work traditionally done by women workers.
Ms Aitken added: “As Council Leader I am committed to implementing a fully funded, fair and just pay and grading scheme which pays equally for equal work and which our employees have confidence in.”
The current pay and grading system was, at the time, agreed by the unions representing workers at the council.
