County pay reviews - winners, losers and the waiting

HEREFORDSHIRE Council's job evaluation scheme could have a crippling effect on youth services in the county.

That is the claim of Jon Ralph, community youth service manager, who spoke out after 80 per cent of his 65-strong workforce saw their pay drop by up to a third.

In a statement to the Hereford Times he said: "What does this say about the value that is placed on the informal education and social inclusion of young people?

"This result devalues the skill and role of youth workers working with young people in difficult and demanding environments."

With a vacancy rate of 20 to 25 percent in the county youth service before the cuts recruitment will inevitably suffer.

Values

Mr Ralph explains: "This will make this situation worse and increase the cries of 'I can earn more stacking shelves in the local supermarket.'"

According to the department head the evaluation scheme values building, financial and staff management roles above core tasks of working on young people's social and personal development.

He said: "The commitment and focus of staff to work with young people has now cost them dearly and the gains this service has made in its work with young people will be lost if, to gain financially, youth workers have to move towards being building and financial managers."

Another area Mr Ralph believes has been hit hard by the evaluation process is administration staff and he issues a stark warning for other areas, including teachers.

He said: "The message should be clear to teachers. It is not a massive step to compare the role and tasks of a youth worker to a teacher and although teachers enjoy a much higher profile, if they allow themselves to be drawn into a job evaluation process the impact may well be significant."

Meanwhile UNISON, the principal union representing council workers, has seen a 10 per cent jump in membership as workers use the ballot box to register their view about the changes.

The deadline for the vote is June 24.

Letter tells health workers of major job revaluation

A MAJOR review of 1,300 jobs in Herefordshire Primary Care Trust got underway this month.

Every post will be evaluated and it is forecast that the majority of staff could be in for a pay rise.

It is believed only a minority of jobs will be devalued but in these cases salaries are protected for six years, and lower pay scales will be introduced only when they change hands.

Chief executive Paul Bates said the review will be completed by the end of the year and any increases in pay backdated to June.

It is likely the Trust will be faced with an annual wage bill increased by 'several hundreds of thousands of pounds', said Mr Bates.

"But we have to accept that we are going to have to improve our pay and conditions if we are going to recruit and keep staff of the right calibre,'' he added.

It was reported in the Hereford Times earlier this year that Herefordshire Primary Care Trust had been nominated by the Government to engage in a pilot scheme to evaluate jobs in the NHS.

It is just one of 12 Trusts in the country given the task and if the results are accepted the new system will be adopted by the NHS throughout England.

Mr Bates said all unions with members working in various parts of the NHS had signed up nationally to co-operate with the pilot schemes and their representatives would be fully involved in the job evaluation process.

He realised such a scheme could not be without some anxieties for staff, and there could be some problems along the way.

"But I hope that both the unions and ourselves will be able to work them out as we encounter them,'' said Mr Bates.

Every member of the Trust's staff received a letter this week confirming the arrangements for the evaluation process.

"We want to ensure they are kept fully informed every step of the way,'' said Mr Bates.

Fire-fighters end pay dispute but union has fears for future

THE fire-fighters' year-long pay dispute is over with neither side claiming victory over the three-year, 16 per cent settlement.

The agreement will provide an annual salary of £25,000 by July 2004 for Hereford's full-time fire-fighters with an equivalent pay scale for retained crews.

But union representatives are worried about future changes in working conditions that could alter the way the brigade operates.

Steve Laugher, Fire Brigade Union secretary for Hereford and Worcester said: "I am very concerned about fire cover for the county.

"Modernisation always results in cuts.

"How that will reflect in the two counties is too early to see but it may well result in calls that we currently attend we won't be going to in future."

Changes

Some of the changes envisaged by local government employers will have little effect on the county's fire service as they cover fire prevention and educational work already carried out by the brigade.

Other changes will only surface through negotiation between the fire brigade and employers.

Jeremy Beecham, spokesperson for employers, said: "Change can be a frightening process, but the employers have always asserted the importance they place on ensuring that change is in no way detrimental to either the general public or the workforce personnel.

"This agreement will deliver an even better service with a generous reward package that recognises the professional skills of our fire-fighters."