Home Carer Comparators (3)

Here are the Factor Level scores for the post of Gardener 3 under North Lanarkshire Council's much criticised 2006/07 job evaluation scheme (JES).

Does anyone else find it amazing that Gardener 3 came out with the much higher grade of NLC 5 and 279 points under NLC's 2006/07 JES?

Especially when you consider that Home Carers under the previous Manual Worker job evaluation scheme were on the much higher grade of MW5 compared to MW3 for Gardeners. 

Daphne Romney QC, who represented A4ES clients at the long-running Employment Tribunal, certainly thought so, and the tribunal agreed because the Council's defence collapsed in a heap and brought about last year's equal pay settlement. 

The big question is what's happening this time around with NLC''s latest JES review which was supposed to be completed before the end of December 2015?

I think the workforce should be told and I suggest a 'pow wow' with the trade unions in NLC to get to the bottom of what's going on.

Gardener 3

Working Environment (WE) - 2

Physical Coordination (PC) - 3

Physical Effort (PE) - 4

Mental Skills (MS) - 1

Concentration (CON) - 2

Communications Skills (COMMS) - 1 

Dealing with Relationships (DWR) - 1

Responsibility for Employees (EMP) - 1

Responsibility for Services to Others (STO) - 2

Responsibility for Financial Resources (FIN) - 1

Responsibility for Physical and Information Resources (PIR) - 2

Initiative and Independence (I and I) - 1

Knowledge (KN) - 3

Home Carers and JES

Here are the scores awarded to Home Carers' jobs in North Lanarkshire under the Council's much criticised 2006/07 job evaluation scheme (JES).

1. Working Environment (WE) - 1
2. Physical Coordination (PC) - 2
3. Physical Effort (PE) - 2
4. Mental Skills (MS) - 1
5. Concentration (CON) - 2
6. Communications Skills (COMMS) - 1 
7. Dealing with Relationships (DWR) - 3
8. Responsibility for Employees (EMP) - 1
9. Responsibility for Services to Others (STO) - 2 
10. Responsibility for Financial Resources (FIN) - 1
11. Responsibility for Physical and Information Resources (PIR) - 2
12. Initiative and Independence (I and I) - 2 
13. Knowledge (KN) - 2

Now the total score awarded originally to NLC Home Carers was 248 points (remember Factor Levels are 'weighted') which resulted in a grade of only NLC 3 under the 2006/07 job evaluation scheme (JES).

But this JE assessment was completely torn to shreds by Daphne Romney QC, the indomitable barrister acting for A4ES clients at the long-running Employment Tribunal hearing in Glasgow, which caused the Council's defences to collapse.

In other words, NLC was forced to agree that the Home Carers scores and grades had been manipulated by senior management were not fit to be relied upon because they'd not accurately reflect the duties and responsibilities of the job  

A highly significant point is that before the Council's new 2006/07 job evaluation scheme NLC Home Carers were previously on the same Manual Worker grade (MW5) or a higher grade than the following traditional male dominated jobs:  

Gardener

Estates Maintenance Worker

Storeperson/Driver

Greenkeeper

Recycling Attendant

Gardener (3)

Gravedigger

Driver 2

Janitor

Yet after the 2006/07 JE exercise the council's Home Carers ended up on a lowly grade of NLC 3 while all the male jobs leapfrogged over their women colleagues and onto to much higher and better paid grades of NLC 4, 5 and 6.

Gardener - NLC 4

Estates Maintenance Worker - NLC4

Storeperson/Driver - NLC 4

Greenkeeper - NLC5

Recycling Attendant - NLC 5

Gardener (3) - NLC 6

Gravedigger - NLC 6

Refuse Driver 2 - NLC 6

Janitor NLC - 6

As I've pointed out on the blog site before, if this were a game of 'Snakes and Ladders' all the women's jobs have anded on a downwards 'snake' while all the male jobs landed on an upwards 'ladder'. 

Which is impossible, of course, without a 'hidden hand' at work and that's why North Lanarkshire's case crumbled and finally fell apart at the Glasgow Employment Tribunal.

Next I'm going to look at the scores awarded to some of the male comparators because these jobs are all being re-examined as part of the equal pay settlement with NLC - a JES review that was supposed to have been completed before the end of December 2015.

So watch this space and prepare to get really mad if you're a Home Carer in Labour-run North Lanarkshire Council.