Thousands of Glasgow City Council staff still do not know if their pay will be cut

HomeNewsUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessWorld of BusinessTechnology of BusinessNYSE Opening BellTechnologyWatch DocumentariesArtificial IntelligenceIntelligence RevolutionAI v the MindTech NowHealthWatch DocumentariesCultureWatch DocumentariesFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsWatch DocumentariesArts in MotionTravelWatch DocumentariesDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListTo the Ends of the Earth EarthWatch DocumentariesScienceNatural WondersClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoWatch DocumentariesBBC MaestroDiscover the WorldLiveLive NewsLive SportDocumentariesSite searchHomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherNewslettersThousands of Glasgow City Council staff still do not know if their pay will be cut60 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJonathan GeddesGlasgow and west reporterGetty ImagesThe new pay structure follows a long-running dispute over equal payThousands of Glasgow City Council workers still do not know what their wages will be under a controversial new pay structure being implemented by the local authority.

The council announced last week it intended to fire and re-hire all its non-teaching staff after talks with unions over new pay grades fell apart, only to pause the plan the following day.

However several workers have since contacted BBC Your Voice to say they have still not had their job evaluation carried out yet, with no timescale for this given to them yet.

This means staff face the possibility of being given new contracts, without knowing how much they would be earning.

A council spokesman said: "Committee decided, some time ago, to implement the new pay and grading scheme on a phased basis – so those in unique jobs, for example, have always known their evaluation would come after primary roles.

"The council is committed to moving on with that process as soon as possible."

The council intends for the new wage structure to begin next April, replacing an old system that was found to discriminate against female workers.

However the union Unison estimate about 20% of the the council's roughly 23,000 staff – or around 4,600 staff – are still waiting for their jobs to be evaluated, which will determine whether they see an increase in wages, a pay cut or no change.

These workers are in secondary benchmark roles – meaning groups of jobs where the work is very similar – or unique roles, meaning fewer than five people handle that job within the council or an arms-length body such as City Property or Glasgow Life.

The unique roles are understood not to include the highest positions with the council, such as the chief executive. These will be determined in a separate process, different to that being used for the new pay scheme.

One worker, who wished to remain anonymous, told BBC Scotland News they are still awaiting any information on their role's new grade.

They said: "My worry last week was that I would be forced to sign a contract while still being unsure of where my role would land on the new grading structure.

"I am still in a place of anxiety. I believe the whole process has been handled very poorly. Why tell some staff where they are in the new structure and leave others on tenterhooks?"

BBC Scotland News understands the council decided to carry out the job evaluations on a phased basis as it would let them assess those in so-called primary benchmark roles – the council's most common jobs – quicker.

Many of those involved in the overall process are still involved in discussions over this first phase, therefore delaying getting to the remaining number of non-primary roles.

Another worker told BBC Scotland News they were in a "really uncertain position", as workers directly above and below them in their team have been evaluated already.

They said changes to colleagues' salaries means they will either be on the same banding as their line managers, or the same grade as the staff they currently manage.

They added: "The difference between those two bandings is several thousands of pounds a year.

"I'm struggling to understand how figures can already be quoted by the council about the proportion of the workforce who will be better or worse off under the new structure, when so many haven't actually been evaluated yet."

It is understood Glasgow City Council believe previously stated figures – where around 63% will go up in salary and 11% go down – will remain roughly the same once the secondary and unique roles are added in.

Talks between Glasgow City Council and the GMB, Unite and Unison unions regarding the pay structure resumed earlier this week.

The local authority is seeking to replace its old pay system after its Workforce Pay and Benefits Review – introduced in 2006 when Labour were in power – was found to discriminate against female workers.

That has resulted in the council spending hundreds of millions of pounds to settle discrimination claims, something it cannot cope with financially in the long-run.

For the new system jobs have been evaluated against various criteria, such as physical effort, mental skills and concentration.

They have then been scored and placed into a pay grade, out of a possible 12.

However the changes mean some workers – estimated at 11% of those who have been graded – face pay cuts of thousands of pounds.

Staff with domestic abuse advocacy service Assist will see wages slashed by around £11,000.

Last week the council said it intended to fire all staff and give them new contracts to sign, after talks with Unison fell apart. The contracts would take effect from 1 January.

However following meetings on Friday with the council, unions and the deputy first minister Jenny Gilruth, this plan was halted.