UNISON working to deliver equal pay in the college sector

Date: Tuesday 27 July 2010

In the 40th anniversary year of the Equal Pay Act, UNISON has joined with Scotland’s Colleges and the Close the Gap initiative to produce guidance to help colleges close the pay gap.

When the Equal Pay Act was introduced in 1970, it was heralded as a major advance for women in the workforce.

However, 40 years later, the pay gap remains a stubborn reality, with figures in Scotland showing that women are still being paid less than their male counterparts – an average of 12.2% less for full time workers and a massive 32% for part time workers.

The Gender Equality Duty, which came into force in 2007, requires employers to make sure they are proactively delivering on equality, including pay equality, as both employers and service providers.

Matt Smith, Scottish Secretary of UNISON, said:
“UNISON has a long history of organising and fighting for women’s pay equality, and we are pleased to have been involved in producing this important piece of guidance.

“Colleges have a legal responsibility to make sure they are paying fairly, and this set of tools will help them to make sure that is happening across their institutions.”

Emma Ritch, Project Manager for Close the Gap, a partnership project which works to address the gender pay gap said:
“After 40 years, the fact that such a large and widespread gap still exists is not only an issue of equality and social justice, but is bad for business and bad for Scotland’s economy.

“We have worked with Unison, and Scotland’s Colleges to ensure that colleges have accessible guidance on meeting the requirements of the legislation.”

ENDS

For Further Information (and for a copy of the guidance) please contact:
Nancy Kelly, Regional Organiser 07904 342230
Fiona Montgomery, Communications Officer 0141 342 2877 (o) 07908 672 890 (m)
Malcolm Burns, Communications Officer 0141 342 2877 (o) 07958 063 182 (m)
Close the Gap: Emma Ritch, Project Manager 07711 926833

Notes to editors:

1. The guidance is called Equal Pay Reviews and Job Evaluation: Guidance for Scotland’s colleges, and is published by Scotland’s Colleges and Close the Gap.

2. According to Close the Gap, a partnership project which works to address the gender pay gap, the three main causes of the pay gap are:

• Occupational segregation - women are clustered into the ‘5 Cs’ - catering, cleaning, caring, clerical and cashiering and are underrepresented in senior management. For example, women make up 89% of the health and social sector in Scotland, but only 19% of NHS Chief Executives/Heads are women.

• Lack of flexible working opportunities – more women than men work part time in order to balance responsibilities. Most part-time work is clustered in low paid occupations, and the lack of part-time and wider flexible working options at senior levels can also prevent women, who are likely to be the main carer, from progressing.

• Discrimination in pay and grading systems – for example individuals being appointed on different points on a pay scale, different job and grade titles for virtually the same job, male jobs having disproportionate access to bonus and earnings, women having less access to overtime and higher paid shift-work, and women not receiving the same access to training and development.

3. There are different ways of reporting on the pay gap. The media reports a combined headline UK figure which includes full-time and part-time earnings and is calculated using the median. Annual Survey of Hours and Earning (ASHE) is the source for the headline UK pay gap which is published late autumn every year. GEO uses the median hourly earnings of men working full-time compared to women working full-time and women working part-time when reporting the pay gap.

4. In Scotland the gender pay gap is reported using the mean, as the median figures underplay the fact that there are a few extremely high earning staff, most of whom are men, and that many women are clustered in the lowest paid professions. The mean takes into account the outliers and reflects the structural inequality between men and women and the issues relating to vertical occupational segregation. Furthermore, international comparisons use the mean.

5. UNISON represents all the non-teaching staff in Scotland's colleges, covering many jobs including managers, library assistants, schools liaison, technicians, janitors, security staff and cleaners.

6. Close the Gap is a partnership initiative working to close the gender pay gap in Scotland. Close the Gap works with employers and employees to enable action to address the causes of the pay gap. Their partners include the Scottish Government, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Trade Union Congress.



.

STUC: Councils must deliver on additional support needs for children

The STUC urged all local authorities to make sure that children with additional support needs continue to get thre services they are entitled to in law to support them to achieve their potential.

Supporting a motion from the Educational Institute of Scotland, UNISON's Sam McCartney stressed the key role of UNISON members like classroom assistants andsupport for learning auxiliaries in providing support to ensure children can access all parts of the school curriculum.
"Sadly these can be the very posts most vulnerable to cutbacks with the resulting impact on the education of our most vulnerable children. This must not be allowed to happen.", said Sam.

More STUC news at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/stuc2010/index.html


.

Troubled city college merger faces further challenge

One of the Colleges making up the new proposed 'super college' in Glasgow is being referred to the Equalities and Human Rights Commission over their closure of a staff and student nursery, the education union, UNISON said today.

A complaint is being made to the EHRC by the union, and they have asked for an enforcement order to be served against the college to ensure the nursery remains open.

The College of Nautical Studies has been in a wrangle with its staff unions over the closure of the Thistle Nursery with the loss of 23 full time jobs, since July 2009.

Despite a successful industrial action ballot, a campaign to save the nursery, and a commitment to examine the union's case, the college subsequently reconfirmed its decision to shut the nursery from July this year.

Assistant UNISON branch secretary Scott Donohoe said: "Despite admitting the closure of the nursery would impact unfairly on female staff, the Equalities Impact Assessment provided by the college is totally inadequate, and was only done after the decision hade been taken, when UNISON asked to see it. The college seems to be simply ticking boxes, and even then only after they are pushed by UNISON."

UNISON maintains that the closure of the nursery is connected with the merger, where, despite the large amount of public money invested, no nursery provision is planned. News of the complaint comes just a day after teaching unions warned the new City of Glasgow College about concerns regarding compulsory redundancies and terms and conditions. UNISON argues that the new college should have a nursery on campus.

Scott Donohoe said "Many parents, students and staff use the nursery. Closing the facility will threaten the chances of many women to take life changing opportunities. In particular, forcing low paid women out to the expensive private sector could mean having to choose between study and the dole."

ENDS

Notes for Editors: The Equality Act 2006 amended the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and introduced an Equality Duty on public authorities when carrying out their functions to ensure services, practices and policies are developed with the different needs of men and women in mind.


.

UNISON says - education support staff need investment, not cuts

Date: Fri 30 Oct 2009


The leader of UNISON, Scotland’s public service union today said that education support staff were crucial in the drive to bring the country out of recession.

He criticised business leaders, right wing politicians and media commentators who have called for finance cuts in education, as ‘risking a further recession’.

Addressing a conference in Edinburgh today (30 Oct), Matt Smith, Scottish Secretary of UNISON, said “Education is one of the key supports for economic infrastructure. When big business accuses public service of being a drain on the economy, they conveniently forget the role of public education in providing them with an educated workforce. This is just one of the reasons why public service investment must be kept high. To cut spending on education and other public services at this crucial time could condemn the Scottish economy to further recession.”

Matt also stressed the key role of education support staff in delivering Scottish education. “Too often, politicians and the media focus on teachers and lecturers, and ignore the rest of the education team.”


He said, “From classroom assistants to school meals staff, and from early years workers to librarians, they ensure our kids get a high standard of education. However, as in other parts of the public sector, support staff in education tend to be the lowest paid and least valued, and it is no coincidence that many of them are women.


“Politicians must become aware that support staff are no longer prepared to play a secondary role. They need to be valued and consulted in the development of Scotland’s education.”


The conference for Education Support Staff is also being addressed by the Minister for Schools and Skills, Keith Brown MSP, and representatives from CoSLA and the SQA. It is taking place in the Barcelo Carlton Hotel, North Bridge, Edinburgh).


.

Cuts will damage hygiene at Stirling University - UNISON

Date: Monday 19 October 2009

UNISON, Scotland’s education union, today called on the court of Stirling University to restore staffing levels at the university to avoid cuts in numbers that will dramatically reduce standards of cleanliness and hygiene. At a lobby of the court meeting in the university today, the union also outlined concerns for the training of future nurses.

The lobby was organised by the joint unions to protest about the loss of 174 jobs at the university.

Marion Adamson, Regional Organiser for UNISON said:

“We are very concerned that the massive cuts in important areas will mean a drop in standards of cleanliness. For example – in student residence kitchens the level of cleaning is being halved because of the numbers cut. This could have a serious impact on student health.

“And we also have a concern for the standards of teaching for student nurses at a time when their numbers should be increased – not reduced. If numbers of teachers leave, then either the numbers of nurses being trained will decline, or a drop in teaching standards may result. This could impact on future care to patients at a time when we need really well trained newcomers as the experienced staff of the post war baby boom are mostly retiring now.”


ENDS


Note for editors:
The lobby is being organised jointly by the UCU, Unite the union, and UNISON. It is taking place from 1.00pm today on the Cottrell lawn. There is also an online petition to oppose these draconian cuts at www.ucu.org.uk/stirlingcuts

For Further Information Please Contact:
Janette MacConachie (Stirling University UNISON Br Secretary) 01786 449471 (o)
Marion Adamson (Regional Officer) 0131 226 0067(o) 07904 326 812 (m)



.

Glasgow college nursery closure back on as management break promises

Date: Wed 14 Oct 2009

UNISON, the education union, today accused the management of Glasgow College of Nautical Studies of bad faith and breaking promises as it emerged that the college plans to close its Thistle Street nursery in July 2010, with the loss of 54 places and 19 jobs – using compulsory redundancies. A further 9 places have already gone with the closure of the Baby Room on 24 September. The union called off industrial action on 20 August this year in return for a commitment to a joint review of nursery provision by both the college and UNISON.

Scott Donohoe, Assistant Secretary for UNISON’s Glasgow city branch said:

“The promises of management, the commitment to a joint review and the whole consultation process in this exercise has been a complete sham. Members called off planned industrial action in good faith, with a college commitment that UNISON would be involved in a joint review of the nursery provision and the nursery would remain open until July 2010 at least. Despite a number of business plans being forwarded that predicted a balanced budget, this commitment was blatantly abandoned by the college.

"It is now quite clear that the college always intended to close the nursery despite the constructive views & input of UNISON, the staff, MSP’s, parents etc. It is also clear that this service cut has always been driven by the prospective merger of city colleges, and this demonstrates the lack of commitment in these merger plans to the provision of affordable childcare arrangements for staff and students given the current economic climate.

“Members have already demonstrated their commitment to action in defending this service, and we give notice that UNISON will resist compulsory redundancies with all means at our disposal."

The union is also writing to the Secretary of State for Education and Lifelong learning to raise the issue.

ENDS



.

Schools PPP will cost taxpayers dear, UNISON warns

Date: Wed 17 June 2009


UNISON Scotland today rejected Scottish Government claims that its schools building announcement represents better value for money than previous PFI/PPP projects.

Instead, the union warned that taxpayers will once again be charged massively over the odds for the Scottish Futures Trust continuing with PPP through the so-called Non Profit Distributing (NPD) model.

Dave Watson, UNISON’s Scottish Organiser, said:
“The initial plan for the Scottish Futures Trust was to replace PFI/PPP. Early proposals proved to be merely window-dressing changes, or PFI-lite. Now we are told that the NPD model is to be used for schools building and the SFT chairman Sir Angus Grossart has not ruled out full-blown PFI/PPP.

“Yet research by Edinburgh University this week confirmed UNISON’s argument that NPD maintains most of the flaws of PFI/PPP, and it highlighted rates of return to investors similar to PFI schemes. The Scottish Government is continuing with a policy the SNP criticised for mortgaging future generations to the hilt.”

In today’s Herald newspaper* Mark Hellowell, of Edinburgh University’s Centre for International Public Health Policy, said that NPD was “a relatively minor variation... despite political rhetoric which suggests there has been more substantive change.”

Dave Watson added:
“It is clear to the general public that PFI/PPP has been an immensely costly way to build new schools and hospitals. Supporters have said people understand that if they include replacement carpets every five years and other maintenance costs in their mortgage, then it would cost more.

“But even the most financially illiterate home-buyer recognises that they will be ripped off if they charge those costs to their mortgage. PFI costs are high because it costs more to borrow privately than conventional borrowing.

“At a time of financial crisis, when the UK Government has been forced into bailing out PFI/PPP schemes, the Scottish Government should be using far less costly conventional funding for schools, as it is doing with the new South Glasgow hospitals complex.”

* http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/news/display.var.2514776.0.Trust_unlikely_to_cut_costs_report_finds.php

ENDS

Note for editors:

1. UNISON opposes PFI/PPP for reasons including service quality, costs, accountability and inflexibility.

The union has argued to the Scottish Government and to the Scottish Parliament Finance Committee's inquiry into the funding of capital investment projects that five simple steps would provide an immediate alternative to PPP/PFI.

They include: a review of existing contracts, with 'buyouts' where that benefits the taxpayer; Scottish government grants for new capital projects, irrespective of the method of procurement; health boards should be given Prudential Borrowing powers; staff should be excluded from transfer and the PPP staffing protocol should be strengthened.

The Calman Commission’s recommendation that the Scottish Government should have borrowing powers for capital investment would also allow the SNP’s original plan for the SFT to proceed, without using PFI/PPP.

2. Further UNISON Scotland PFI information is at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/comms/pfi.html

3. UNISON’s report ‘Putting the Public Back into PFI’ was published on 15 June. http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=1450

.