UNISON is concerned that job evaluation is being outsourced to private job evaluation providers.
We believe that this move risks members’ jobs not being properly matched or evaluated, undermines the agenda for change agreement and puts the employer at increased risk of equal pay claims.
Job evaluation is required to be delivered in partnership and outsourced companies cannot deliver on the requirement.
Some outsourced providers claim they provide ‘staff side accredited or trained’ reps. There is no provision for staff side unions to accredit job matching or evaluation practitioners to work for private providers of job matching and evaluation services.
We have worked with staff side trade unions to update the NHS Job Evaluation Handbook.
The update makes it clear that a staff side job matching or evaluation practitioner should be ‘nominated by and accountable to their local union branch or staff side.’
The outsourced companies will no longer be able to claim that they are working in partnership with staff side ‘accredited’ reps. The change emphasises the importance of staff side reps receiving time off for appropriate job evaluation and matching training.
The addition to the new handbook is in chapter three, section 7.2 (Partnership Working).
UNISON will be publishing a JE recovery tool which will contain some advice on challenging outsourcing of JE and a template letter to send to management to formally request Job Evaluation to be brought back in house.