Job Evaluation
Joint Management /Trade Union Statement
Why
an Equal Pay Review?
What
is the content of an Equal Pay Review?
Who
will undertake the Equal Pay Review process?
What
will this mean for you as an employee of Lancashire County Council?
What
part will you play?
Commitment
to achieve successful implementation
What
Scheme is going to be used to evaluate jobs?
The
Equal Pay Review Team
Make
the most of Job Evaluation
Why an Equal Pay Review?
Legislation has been in place for many years to avoid discrimination between men and women. This is in terms of their pay and conditions, where they are doing the same or similar work; work rated as equivalent or work of equal value. There is also legislation in place to avoid unequal treatment on race, disability, sexual orientation and religion and age and there is protection also for part time workers.
The 2004 pay deal for local government services, concluded by the National Joint Council, included the requirement on local authorities to conduct local pay reviews. The conducting of such reviews would continue to demonstrate the robustness and fairness of agreed pay structures. It was also recognised however, that, for pay structures that have been in place for some time, like ours in Lancashire, that anomalies may be highlighted which would require attention to ensure that pay structures remain free from any potential inequality.
What is the content of an Equal Pay Review?
An equal pay review looks at the reward system on the basis of equality, such as gender, race and, disability etc. It includes the following;
1. The introduction of new, or extension of existing, job evaluation (JE) schemes which evaluate the types of jobs in an organisation and rank them by allocating scores. (Later such scores are then be used to inform rankings in the pay structure.)
2. A review of policies relating to terms and conditions. (In Lancashire, for example, we have a range of different agreed terms and conditions which apply to different categories of staff. We need to evaluate such differences deciding whether they either remain justified and objective, or if not, amend these accordingly.)
3. A statistical analysis of our payroll and employee records data will take place, to review how current pay and rewards are reflected in the make-up of the workforce. An evaluation will then be done to determine whether any general changes need to be made as a result of such an analysis.
Who will undertake the Equal Pay Review process?
In 2006 the authority set up a project team headed by a Project Manager and comprised of a team of Job Analysts to undertake Job Evaluation using the NJC Scheme (see below for further details). Currently two UNISON seconded officers are part of this team.
In May 2008, elected members agreed the use of second Job Evaluation scheme to assess a range of managerial posts. The scheme selected for these posts will be the commercially developed Hay scheme. Unison’s participation in this aspect of the project is still be agreed.
What will this mean for you as an employee of Lancashire County Council?
If your terms and conditions are covered by the National Joint Council for Local Government Services - National Agreement on Pay and Conditions of Service (known as the `green book') - your job and terms and conditions of employment will be included in this pay and grading review process.
The outcome will be a new pay and grading structure for the County Council, but what this will mean for individual employees is not known at this time as the review of all jobs has to be undertaken first. Nevertheless, the County Council and the trade unions are committed to implementing the pay and grading review to ensure our pay systems, terms and conditions continue to meet equality standards.
What part will you play?
Only a relatively small number of Jobholders will actually complete a Job Evaluation Questionnaire as part of Job Evaluation. Selection for this process is based on the equality profile of the workforce for a given job. If you wish to be considered as part of the representative sample for your job type, you can volunteer but there are no guarantees that you will be selected. If you wish to volunteer click on the link below (LCC intranet access required).
http://lccintranet/corporate/equal_pay_review/job_evaluation/documentation/index.asp
Even if you aren’t included in a representative sample, all job holders will receive a Job Overview Report which will give a report of the evaluation of your job. The details of this process are subject to on-going discussions.
Commitment to achieve successful implementation
The County Council and trades unions are committed to successful implementation and have agreed the following underlying principles to be adopted throughout the process:
- Equality
- Protection of services/jobs
- Achievable outcomes
- Impact positively on service delivery
What Scheme is going to be used to evaluate jobs?
Initially there was an agreement with the authority to evaluate the majority of posts using the NJC scheme – an equality proofed, nationally agreed scheme developed for use in local government. All Evaluations carried out before July 2008 have used this scheme.
In May 2008, elected members agreed the use of the Hay Job Evaluation Scheme to include posts that are first line managerial and professional. For posts that are public service focused, the NJC Scheme will continue to be used.
The Equal Pay Review Team
The County Council has established an Equal Pay Review Team led by a project manager and comprised of a team of Job Analysts. Two of the Job Analysts are UNISON secondments who not only contribute to the operational requirements of the project, but also feedback to the union’s representatives on the project steering group.
Make the most of Job Evaluation
Job Evaluation represents a great opportunity to recruit new members to UNISON. Not only are we playing an important role in delivering the project in our members best interests, but we are able to support members who will be having their jobs evaluated in the project. We will be there to advise on appeals and disputes which will inevitably arise. Non-members will be at something of a disadvantage when it comes to challenging the procedures.
SO ENCOURAGE NON-MEMBERS TO JOIN NOW!
WITH UNISON – YOU ARE ONE IN A MILLION
Telephone: - 01772 533072 to become a member now
Email: unison@unison.lancscc.gov.uk
The UNISON Branch Officers dealing with Job Evaluation are:
Elaine Brookes | Bob Harvey | Carol Lukey | Roger
Wells
Seconded Officers to EPR Team: John Mackey|Ashley Bramwell