Equal Pay Policy Statement and Statement on Occupational Segregation 2015/17

Transcription

1 Equal Pay Policy Statement and Statement on Occupational Segregation 2015/17

2 1.0 Introduction Glasgow Kelvin College embraces the promotion of equality and diversity in employment. The College believes that irrespective of age, disability, race, sex, gender reassignment or gender identity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or marital status/civil partnership, staff should receive equal pay for work of equal value, for the same or broadly similar work and for work rated as equivalent and have equal access to training and development. The College contends that it is good management practice, and therefore in its own interest, that pay is awarded fairly and equitably. It is important that employees have confidence in the process for eliminating gender bias and to this end the College is committed to working in partnership with its recognised Trade Unions to achieve this. It is recognised that in order to achieve the principle of equal pay for employees doing equal work, that the College should operate a pay system which is transparent and based on objective criteria which are free from bias and does not discriminate unfairly between those on different contractual arrangements. 2.0 Legislative Framework The Equality Act 2010 gives men and women, persons who are disabled and persons who are not and persons who fall into a minority racial group and persons who do not a right to equal pay for equal work. Although this statement refers to equal pay between women and men, it covers the protected characteristics covered by The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations (PSED), it is also recognised that pay systems may be open to challenge on grounds of other protected characteristics under the Equality Act The PSED Regulations places a requirement on the College to be proactive in addressing gender pay gaps and assess the different impacts on women and men of employment policy and practice. The public sector equality duty is about achieving real positive outcomes for men and women, persons who are disabled and persons who are not and persons who fall into a minority racial group and persons who do not and narrowing the gender pay gap. The College understands that equal pay between men and women is a legal right under both domestic and European law. It is acknowledged that there is other UK legislation in place relating to, for example part-time and fixed-term employees, that also relates to equal pay. 1

3 3.0 Objectives The College s equal pay objectives are to: ensure that any unfair, unjust or unlawful practices that impact on pay are eliminated; ensure that its pay arrangements remain free from bias; and take appropriate remedial action to address any elements of the pay arrangements that may be unfair, unjust or unlawful. 4.0 Scope of the Equal Pay Policy Statement The key areas covered by the Policy Statement are pay arrangements, occupational segregation; including career progression and caring responsibilities. 4.1 Pay Arrangements The College workforce comprises of two employee groups whose pay and conditions of service are set under different local bargaining arrangements. These are as follows: Joint Negotiating Committee for Lecturing Staff, including the Vice Principal, Human Resources and Organisational Development and Human Resources Director; and Joint Negotiating Committee for Support Staff including the Vice Principal, Human Resources and Organisational Development and Human Resources Director. The Board of Management s commitment to equal pay is demonstrated by: operating common terms and conditions for salary placement for all staff regardless of employment status; monitoring and reviewing pay practices in partnership with recognised Trade Unions and when appropriate other staff representatives; reviewing and revising, where necessary, written terms and conditions in partnership with its recognised Trade Unions; providing open access for staff to their own personal information; eliminating the lowest scale points on the support staff pay scale structure within the resources available; evaluating all posts, including senior management, using a Job Evaluation System, Further Education Development and Role Analysis (FEDRA) and addressing any anomalies subsequently identified; reviewing and updating pay and grading structures in partnership with representatives of its recognised Trade Union underpinned by the FEDRA job evaluation system; 2

4 annually conducting an equal pay audit and reporting the findings in its Mainstreaming Report; not operating long pay scales; providing training and guidance for those staff directly involved in decisions about pay and benefits; encouraging all staff to make appropriate provisions for their pension with the support of its recognised Trade Unions; and impact assessing pay policies and practices. 4.2 Occupational Segregation Occupational segregation is understood as the concentration of men and women: in different kinds of jobs (horizontal segregation) or in different grades (vertical segregation) Occupational segregation is one of the barriers which prevents women and men from fulfilling their potential in the labour market, and consequently contributes to the pay gap. Research has shown that women tend to be concentrated in the lower paid jobs (e.g. caring, catering, cleaning, clerical, cashiering) and the lower grades within an organisation. As an employer and provider of education services Glasgow Kelvin College is committed to tackling occupational segregation. The College recognise the benefits of utilising talent and skills of all staff and is committed to ensuring that stereotypical perceptions do not inhibit an individual in learning, work or life. The College has agreed, in consultation with its recognised teaching Trade Union a permanisation agreement. This agreement provides permanent hours to temporary staff who achieve two years service based on an average of the hours worked over that period. This provides security of employment for part-time staff of whom the majority are female Main causes of the gender pay gap are seen as: Gender stereotyping - Social attitudes, both explicit and implicit, which stereotype the roles women and men, girls and boys, have in society. These attitudes can influence subject choice at school, college and university and can limit their career aspirations. Inflexible working - staff with children, or with other caring responsibilities for vulnerable adults, face constraints in terms of finding work that is potentially both commensurate with their skills and aspirations as well as flexible and convenient in terms of their childcare and other caring responsibilities. This impacts predominately on women and a lack of options often forces many 3

5 women into part-time or low-paid work. The College is committed to paying the Glasgow Living Wage. Under-valuing of roles and occupations - that are perceived to be "women's work". In addition to considering how to encourage more women and men to consider non-traditional occupations and address the low value attached to "women's work". In certain areas of the College s workforce elements of occupational segregation may exist. The College Equal Pay Audit reports on the extent of occupational segregation in more detail. The College has taken a number of steps to minimise occupational segregation and advance equality of opportunity. These are as follows: monitoring the impact of pay practices across the protected characteristics and reporting the impact by gender and by scale point in its Mainstreaming Report; monitoring and reporting the gender profile of roles within the College to identify any areas of occupational gender segregation and identify any actions necessary to discourage occupational gender segregation; encouraging both genders to apply for non-traditional roles through innovative recruitment advertising and Continuous Professional Development opportunities; monitoring and reporting the workforce profile by gender, age, disability, ethnicity/race, full-time and part-time by grade on an annual basis in its Mainstreaming Report; operating flexible working practices for staff at all levels; monitoring and reporting the take up of flexible working opportunities across all the protected characteristics and report the take up by gender on an annual basis in the Mainstreaming Report; operating and monitoring the utilisation of work-life balance policies across all the protected characteristics and reporting the impact by gender on an annual basis in the Mainstreaming Report; operating open access to training and development and monitoring and reporting by gender and other protected characteristics the take up of such opportunities; career development review procedures; mentoring and coaching opportunities open to all staff; analyse progression in terms of grade and between job groups by gender and other protected characteristics; and operating a Succession Planning strategy. 4

6 4.3 Action Plan Session 2015/17 The College during, sessions 2015/17, will seek to: develop a Succession Planning strategy in partnership with its recognised Trade Unions; continue to encourage both genders to apply for non-traditional roles through innovative recruitment and selection processes; encourage all staff to access training and development opportunities; gather data on access to and take up of training and mentoring opportunities by staff; and continue to monitor, review and develop further the Board s Family Friendly and Flexible Working Policy and associated practice in conjunction with staff and representatives of recognised Trade Unions. 5.0 Transparency and Communication The College make staff aware of the arrangements for setting their pay and remuneration this is undertaken when an employee commences employment. Staff have access to the terms and conditions which cover their staff group. The College has in place joint consultation arrangements with its recognised Trade Unions. The agendas and minutes from the Joint Consultative Committee are placed on the College website for all staff to access. 6.0 Information Gathering and Publication The College gather and publish a wide range of workforce information in its Mainstreaming Report. The following workforce information is analysed by all protected characteristics: Workforce Profile; Recruitment and Selection Statistics (internal and external); Discipline and Grievance Cases; Dignity and Respect Policy; Staff Surveys; HSE Stress Survey; Staff Training and Continuous Professional Development; and Exit Interviews. 5

7 7.0 Monitoring The information gathered and published in the College Mainstreaming Report are reported to the Board of Management, relevant standing committees and the Joint Consultative Committee. In addition information relating to the workforce is discussed with members of the Senior Management Team and the Operational Management Team to ensure that action is taken in respect of any issued identified in the monitoring information. The Mainstreaming Report, Equality Outcomes, Equal Pay Policy Statement and Equal Pay Audit gender pay gap information is published on the College s Website and Intranet. 8.0 Responsibility The Board of Management and College Principal are responsible for ensuring that employees are treated equitably. The Board s Human Resources Committee and College s Equality and Diversity Committee have the role of ensuring the success and accuracy of the Equal Pay Policy Statement. The Vice Principal, Human Resources and Organisational Development and the Director of Human Resources have additional responsibility to ensure that the initial starting salaries are consistent with the Policy. 9.0 Review of Equal Pay Policy Statement The College will continue to review and revise both its Equal Pay Policy Statement in consultation and with the involvement of stakeholders in sessions 2015/17. 6

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