News / Robinson: mates’ jobs were assessed fairly
CAVING IN to union demands of better pay and condition for ferry mates on Shetland’s inter island ferries would set a precedent with Scotland-wide consequences, council leader Gary Robinson has warned.
The local authority is at loggerheads with the Unite trade union over mates’ pay grades, which has already led to three walkouts – the last on Wednesday morning lasting six hours.
Unite says working in a maritime environment should qualify for a higher pay grade as this was more challenging than outside work on land.
That appears also to be the view of arbitration service ACAS, whose proposal – seen by Shetland News – will be discussed by councillors in private on Monday.
But Robinson said mates’ jobs had been assessed using a sophisticated process that included a factor to account for working in an “outdoor environment”.
“This factor was also applied fairly to all other staff who work outdoors, such as roads staff.
“I am confident that we applied the national job evaluation scheme fairly to marine staff.
“This was proved correct in the re-assessment after an appeal heard by an independent panel – it was checked and rechecked, and we have reached the same conclusion.”
He added: “If we were to attempt to amend the application of the job evaluation scheme for only mates on ferries then this would have consequences for other sea based staff as well as significant numbers of other council staff in Shetland who work outdoors; and indeed other staff across Scotland, as it is a national scheme.”
But in its two-page document ACAS said there was a “strong possibility” that maritime jobs had not been properly considered when the single status scheme was drawn up.
Under the scheme a local authority has to make sure it is paying all staff the same wage for the same work.
Putting forward a proposal to resolve the dispute, ACAS wrote: “In the ‘Working Environment’ factor which deals with physical environment there is a focus on whether a jobholder will be working indoor or outdoors.
“It is here that the environment of maritime workers has possibly not been fully considered in the construction of the scheme.
“All of the other jobs evaluated by this scheme are land based and therefore the indoor/ outdoor test is valid.
“However, in addition to indoor/ outdoor a maritime job by definition takes place at sea where weather, wind, tide etc. present an ever-changing environment.
“The suggestion made by ACAS in conciliation is that this ever present and changing environmental feature should underpin all of the evaluations made in relation to maritime posts. This would be in addition to the current consistent interpretations of indoor/ outdoor made in evaluations.
“In the case of maritime jobs on ferries it could then be interpreted as jobs which have a higher element of outdoor exposure should be treated as attaining the next level to that currently achieved.
“This interpretation of the ‘Working Environment’ factor would not lead to re-evaluation of land based posts.”
Robinson said the council made concession in an attempt to find a resolution to the dispute.
“We have already made an offer to ferry mates to grade them higher, based on an additional duties to cover for masters when necessary and will provide the necessary training for them to achieve this.
“This is within the scope of the job evaluation scheme and I think is a fair offer that, financially, is in keeping with what the ferry mates are seeking.”
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