Fórsa members working in local authorities are a step closer to securing a comprehensive job evaluation process as the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has confirmed broad agreement, under several headings, which it says will help towards agreeing “the mechanics and framework” of a job evaluation scheme for the local authority sector. Read the document here.

The developments were announced last week at Fórsa’s local government and local services divisional conference, which took place in Letterkenny, County Donegal. 

Richy Carrothers, head of Fórsa’s local government and local services division, said local authority workers deserve a fair, open, and transparent system of measurement to ensure the work they undertake is appropriate to the grade in which they’re employed. More than 80% of Fórsa members backed industrial action on the issue in 2023.

Richy told conference delegates that the union had continued to engage in intensive discussions with government and Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) representatives under the auspices of the WRC and described the statement of progress by the WRC as a ‘major development’, giving effect “to the policy of conference to deliver a job evaluation scheme in the sector,” he said.

Richy added that intensive work remained, but that the union had never been closer to securing a positive result: “Close to 10,000 jobs were lost from the sector following the financial crisis in 2008, and services were only maintained because local authority workers countrywide took on additional responsibilities above their pay grades. 

“Many of our members have been working over and above their grade. The local government sector needs to work in good faith and collaboratively with Fórsa. We will continue to work diligently and to do our best for members by ensuring that we deliver. We want to ensure that we end up in a position where no one is left behind,” he said.

The WRC confirmed that broad agreement has been reached under the following headings: 

• The parties are working towards the implementation of a job evaluation scheme based on the mechanics of the existing Higher Education scheme but tailored to the specific and unique requirements of the Local Authority sector.
• The principle of objectivity, transparency, impartiality and quality assurance will apply.
• The scheme will be operated centrally and jointly.
•  The purpose of the scheme will be to evaluate the post, not the individual performance of the person currently in the post.
•  A pilot will be launched by the end of 2025 in the first instance before the scheme is launched nationally. 

The WRC has identified several steps to be taken before the launch of a pilot scheme, including an engagement between the parties on agreement on job descriptions to benchmark evaluations against, assessors and the process of the assessment, and agreement on quality assurance.

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