Enquiries to: Kevin Symm
Your Ref:
Our Ref: FOI/309765 /
S Moulds
Email: / 10 April 2014

DearSir/Madam

Freedom of Information Request 309765

Thank you for your recent request received25 March 2014. Your request was actioned under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in which you requested thefollowing

  1. Has the Council completed and implemented a Pay Review in respect of all jobs within scope of the National Agreement on Pay and Conditions of Service (‘the Green Book’) as required by the Implementation Agreement 2004? This is referred to as implementing ‘Single Status’.
  1. If so:

i.On what date did the Council’s ‘Single Status’ pay and grading structure come into effect?

ii.Up to what spinal column point (SPC) does the Single Status pay and grading structure cover?

iii.State whether Single Status has been implemented in phases and the relevant jobs, grades and SPCs covered by each phase.

If the Council HAS implemented Single Status, please answer questions 3 to 10 and questions 15 to 24 below.

If the Council has NOT implemented Single Status, please answer questions 11 to 24 below.

  1. Which job evaluation scheme was used for the purposes of evaluating roles under Single Status?
  1. Was Single Status implemented by collective agreement with recognised trade unions or was it imposed by the Council following dismissal and re-engagement of the employees?
  1. What terms for protection of pay under were put in place, whether by agreement or otherwise, for those employees whose overall remuneration reduced under Single Status?
  1. Please provide a list of all jobs which have been evaluated under Single Status, identifying:

i.Their current grade

ii.The score boundaries for each grade in the pay and grading structure

iii.The score given to each job on evaluation

iv.The basic pay of each job on implementation of Single Status

v.The basic pay of each job immediately prior to implementation of Single Status

  1. Please provide a list of jobs in respect of which the jobholders’ overall pay prior to the implementation of Single Status reduced upon implementation of Single Status and which, therefore, received pay protection.
  1. Please identify which jobs, prior to the implementation of Single Status attracted any of the following payments and state the relevant amount/percentage:
  1. Bonus payments
  2. Attendance allowances
  3. Recruitment and retention payments,
  1. Please state the number of employees who:
  1. Received pay protection upon implementation of Single Status
  2. Are still in receipt of pay protection
  1. Please state the gender breakdown of:
  1. Those employees who were in receipt of bonus payments prior to Single Status
  2. Those employees who were in receipt of a recruitment and retention payment prior to Single Status
  3. Those employees who were in receipt of pay protection upon implementation of Single Status
  4. Those employees who are currently in receipt of pay protection Where the Council has not implemented Single Status:
  1. When does the Council propose to implement Single Status?
  1. Which job evaluation scheme is it using or will it use for the purposes of implementing Single Status?
  1. Please identify by job title and grade (and identify the gender breakdown of the jobholders) which jobs currently attract any of the following payments and state the relevant amount/percentage:
  1. Bonus payments
  2. Attendance allowances
  3. Recruitment and retention payments
  1. Please identify by job title and grade (and identify the gender breakdown of the jobholders) which jobs previously attracted (but do not currently attract) any such payments referred to in 13 above, identifying the relevant amount/percentage and state:
  1. When such payments came to an end
  2. Whether the jobholders were paid compensation for giving up such payments and if so how much
  3. Whether the jobholders were given any form of pay protection upon giving up the payments and if so how much
  1. Please state:
  1. How many ‘craft workers’ are employed by the Council? (Craft workers being those employees whose terms and conditions are in accordance with agreements under the JNC for Local Authority craft and associated employees)
  2. The job titles of the jobs held by craft workers.
  3. The gender breakdown in respect of each job title.
  1. In respect of the jobs identified as craft worker jobs, please identify by job title and grade (and identify the gender breakdown of the jobholders) which jobs currently attract any of the following payments and state the relevant amount/percentage:
  1. Bonus payments
  2. Attendance allowances
  3. Recruitment and retention payments
  1. In respect of the jobs identified as craft worker jobs, please identify by job title and grade (and identify the gender breakdown of the jobholders) which jobs previously attracted (but do not currently attract) any such payments referred to in 16 above, identifying the relevant amount/percentage and state:
  1. When such payments came to an end
  2. Whether the jobholders were paid compensation for giving up such payments and if so how much
  3. Whether the jobholders were given any form of pay protection upon giving up the payments and if so how much
  1. Since 2004 how many claims for equal pay have been brought in the employment tribunals against the Council?
  1. How many claims has the Council settled?
  1. Have such claims been settled by way of COT3 Agreements or by way of Compromise/Settlement Agreements?
  1. Of the claims settled:
  1. How many claims were presented in the employment tribunal?
  2. How many settlements were in respect of claims which had not been but which could have been presented in the employment tribunal?
  1. When was the last equal pay settlement?
  1. How much has the Council paid out in settlements since 2005?
  1. What is the period of time covered by such settlements? In particular, what is the expiry date of the settlement agreements?

Response:

Liverpool City Councilholds the information you have requested but is unable to provide all of it in accordance with the following:

Your request has been considered and as an individual piece of work exceeds the parameters of Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which states that as a Local Authority we are not obliged to comply with a request for information if we estimate that the cost of compliance would exceed the Act stated appropriate limit of 18 hours.

However, Section 16 of Freedom of Information Act 2000 places a duty on public authorities to provide advice and assistance, so far as it would be reasonable to expect the authority to do so, to persons who propose to make, or have made, requests for information to it. It is in accordance with our obligations under this piece of legislation that we have gathered the information which does not exceed the 18 hour time limit and, as such, can provide the following.

In response to the elements of your request which exceed Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 we will confirm this as and where appropriate

  1. Yes. The exception is for Green Book roles at PO14 and above – Single Status will be implemented for these roles on 1st June, 2014.
  1. If so:

i.The new pay and grading structure came into effect for the vast majority of employees up to PO14 (scp60)on 1st October 2012. As stated above, roles at PO14 and above will have the new structure implemented on 1st June, 2014.

ii.The current structure covers up to scp67

iii.Please refer to response provided in answer to point 2.1

  1. The NJC scheme was used for all roles
  1. Collective agreement.
  1. 2 years pay protection – this was by agreement with the trade unions.

We are unable to provide any information in response to points 6 – 10 and 15 – 24 as this would breach Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000

As we have not provided all of the information you have requested, in accordance with the application of Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, we are required to serve you with a section 17 notice. Please treat the following as such

TheCity Council will consider appeals, referrals or complaints in respect of your Freedom of Information Act 2000 and you must submit these in writing within 28 days of receiving your response.

The matter will be dealt with by an officer who was not previously involved with the response and we will look to provide a response within 28 working days.

If you remain dissatisfied you may also apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision about whether the request for information has been dealt with in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

The Information Commissioner’s website is and the postal address and telephone numbers are:-

Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, CheshireSK9 5AF. Fax number 01625 524 510, DX 20819, Telephone 01625 545745.Email – (they advise that their email is not secure)

I trust this information satisfies your enquiry

ÿYours sincerely

Mr Kevin Symm

Senior Information Officer

Information Team Municipal Buildings Dale StreetLiverpool L2 2DH

Telephone 0151 225 3132 Fax 0151 225 2392

Email