Agenda item

This report will update the Committee on the progress of the Pay and Grade Review project.  

Discussion:

This report provided an update on the Pay and Grade Review project, following a report to the Committee on 18 April 2013 when progress was noted in relation to the implementation of a new pay and grading structure using job families and a contribution based pay scheme.

The Assistant Director, Organisational Services, explained the background to the project which included a commitment to undertake this project following the Council’s decision to freeze increments until 31 March 2014, noting that the Council’s current pay and grade scheme had been in place since 2002. She also stated that the Council had come out of the national agreement for the (cost of living) pay award with effect from April 2013 but that this did not relate to progression through pay scales.

The Assistant Director, Organisational Servies, explained that the aims of the project included to reduce the length of the current pay scales, which at 9-10 points, were considered to be too long; to end automatic progression through the pay scales and the overlapping of grades. The Council had undertaken work on the project with input from the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Hay Group. It was proposed to adopt a job family framework which would reduce the types of graded posts from 650 to 100. This would reduce the current complexity in terms of grading posts and provide the Council with more flexibility in terms of staff moving between different jobs.

The Assistant Director, Organisational Services stated that, currently, a desk top exercise had been undertaken within HR Services to allocate around 1,500 posts to their respective job family. This work was ongoing and when complete, the Hay Group would have sufficient information to undertake the financial modelling. She stated that whilst there were no savings targets attached to this project, it was likely that some posts would be graded higher or lower than their current grades.

The Assistant Director, Organisational Services, updated Members on the timetable for the project, as outlined in appendix two to the report. The Council aimed to reach a collective agreement with the trade unions on the proposals, however, if this was not achieved, it would be necessary to undertake a period of 45 days formal consultation with staff which would lead to the dismissing and reengaging of staff.  

Members discussed a number of issues including the need for meetings of the Pay and Grade Members Working Party; when the cost implications would be known and whether Members would be presented with options for consideration; whether the timetable was achievable; the nature of dialogue with trade unions thus far and what type of organisation had the Council based its proposals on.

The Assistant Director, Organisational Services stated that the cost implications would be known by September and that this would include options; that the timetable was achievable but some concerns remained around the issue of slotting jobs into job families and that dialogue with trade unions had taken place at the Corporate Consultative Committee and that a workshop would be arranged with them regarding the proposals.

Decision:

The Committee noted the progress made in relation to the implementation of a new pay and grading structure using job families and a contribution based pay scheme.