City council launches new job evaluation scheme after union raises equal pay concerns

Sheffield City Council is to introduce a new job evaluation process for all employees after the GMB union raised concerns in autumn 2023 about equal pay under the council’s current job evaluation scheme.

A comprehensive independent review had taken place to identify where changes should be made. The council said it uses the GLPC job evaluation scheme and the review found no fault with this but said the way Sheffield had implemented it “may have led to disparities in job evaluation”.  

To deal with these potential disparities, the council will launch a Sheffield Role Review Programme and use a new job evaluation process, through the commonly used NJC scheme.  

Part of this will require every role in the council, including senior leaders and directors, to be reassessed to ensure each post is graded appropriately.  

Leader Tom Hunt said: “Job evaluation and equal pay are complex areas, and we are taking this matter very seriously.  

“We’ve looked at this proactively and in depth and have worked positively with our union partners to come up with a solution that is fit for the future.

“We firmly believe in equity, and we can say with no hesitation that introducing a new job evaluation process is the right thing to do.”  

A joint statement by the GMB, Unison and Unite tase unions, said: ”The council’s decision to introduce the Sheffield Role Review Programme is a welcome one.

“GMB, Unite and Unison have collectively been working in partnership with the council to find a way forward and we have agreed to implement a new scheme.

“We will continue to hold the council to account on equal pay and we are assured that they are listening to, and acting on, our concerns. Our priority is to ensure that there is a fair and equal scheme for employees in the future, and that anyone who has not been paid equally gets that rectified. We will continue to work with the council to make sure that happens.” 

Mark Smulian