Following the last update in August 2024, discussions between the Support Staff Trade Unions and the employers have continued. Both sides are committed to making progress and delivering on the commitment to the Job Evaluation Project.
All agree that it is unfortunate that the project had become delayed and stalled in unnecessary complications. Further, both sides agree it is important for there to be a shared objective and outcome for the project before further work is undertaken.
On that basis, constructive talks have taken place on the use of the historical Job Evaluation data. In these discussions it has become clear, and supported by advice from experts, that due to the passage of time, the inevitable change in work content, and concerns from historical sampling audits, that the previous evaluation and scoring of roles cannot be considered reliable.
It is fundamental to any Job Evaluation Project that the data used must be up to date and an accurate analysis of job content, therefore, employers and trade unions are now exploring options for current data collection and analysis to ensure the integrity of the project.
Finally, although it is well understood that Job Evaluation does not equate to the harmonisation of pay for jobs across different employers, work is being undertaken in partnership to aid meaningful negotiations on the appropriate application of Job Evaluation outcomes to pay structures.