Presentation by Sarah Messenger, Head of Workforce, Local Government Association

1. Date www.local.gov.uk
Pay me what I’m worth
Sarah Messenger
Head of Workforce
Local Government Association
Insert date www.local.gov.uk

2. A quick tour through history
• Mid 90s – Single Status
– 13 factor scheme to deal with
“blue and white-collar” jobs
– Comparing jobs that had not
previously been compared
– Slow progress around turn of
century often due to failure to
agree choice of scheme, local
conventions, benchmark roles
– The bureaucracy of JE came to
be seen as a problem

3. A quick tour through history
• The noughties and the equal pay
crisis
– Questions over bonus schemes
drive need to complete local pay
reviews, NWNF lawyers involved
– 2004 agreement; 3 years to
complete reviews
– Progress on JE processes but
tribunals curtail job enhancement,
pay protection etc.
– Majority reach agreement and at
some expense, local government
achieves one of the lowest pay
gaps in Europe

4. Outcomes
• Just over half of councils use NJC Scheme but most have
similar outcomes whatever scheme used
• Grades with 5 incremental points on average, butt-ended,
majority of staff assimilated at mid-point
• Low-risk in equal pay terms
• JE now seen as standard
process when jobs are
changed
BUT
• Sense that this can stifle
change

5. What is the problem we are trying to solve?
• How to use JE properly in the new
world of public services, integrated
workforces, commercialisation?
• We have significant recruitment
challenges for some roles
• The bureaucracy is out of keeping
with fleet-of-foot, fluid
organisations
• How to use JE to measure our
new role requirements?

6. The way forward
AT LEAST
• More effective use of market pay levels
• Change the traditional approach
• Make sure the NJC scheme uses the right
language
• Make more effective use of benchmarked
role profiles
MORE CHALLENGING…
• Does the NJC scheme have the right
factors? Do we need another scheme?
• PRP? Pay for behaviours?

7. What is the LGA doing?
• Reviewed NJC scheme advice and guidance
with the unions (continuing activity)
– Focus on dealing with new types of job with
up-to-date language and on critical
responsibility and knowledge factors
– All technical notes updated and new ones
added
– Large group of benchmark role profiles
created
• Developing action learning day to enable
colleagues to work through scenarios