Fair pay in local government

[frizzyandfrazzled]

How does it work if you work the same job as someone else but they have been doing it longer and are higher up the scale in your band. How does that equate to fairness?

You would maybe assume the more experienced officer is doing a better job... But what if that's not the case?

Thoughts welcome!

They probably have more experience than you, a proven track record of performing etc.... just because you have the same role doesn't mean you're the best at it and deserve the higher pay...

Higher up the band is probably just down to time in the role. Time = experience. Experience maybe doesn’t = better.

In local government, jobs are graded and use the NJC salary scale. You start at the bottom of a band and get automatic increments each year till you’re at the top. The increments reward experience and loyalty for each year in the job. Most scales have 3-6 increments so after about 5 years of doing the role you’ll all be on the same amount. Seems a pretty fair way of doing it to me. Performance is another issue. There’s no performance related pay in local government. Performance should be picked up but it doesn’t affect pay.

Not all local authorities have automatic progression up the steps in a band. Mine doesn't and it's a major issue; people get put forward by their manager for progression and then the senior leaders decide that only a certain number of people move up each year and they choose them 'somehow'.

Nothing unfair about that.

Completely normal in public sector & absolutely fair.

When two individuals are doing the same job on the same pay scale with time based increments then the ‘fairness’ is in line with the same terms. Starting at the lower end of the scale and rising to the top end of the scale ….. the newer person will catch up

There is the point of view of establishing one pay rate so that no matter how long someone has worked that they get the one rate for the job
This has been brought into civil service pay scales which ceased increments. When you enter the pay scale you go in on minimum and remain on minimum. Anyone who was already on that pay scale whilst increments were in place stays at the increment point they had been on
As years progress the minimum is increased and the gap from minimum to maximum closes. Newer staff on minimum catch up to those who had previously incremented and eventually there is one rate

Classic public sector shit this. There's no logical reason for why someone should get paid more for doing the same job as someone else just because they've been there longer.

NJC increasing with service is very normal.

In my LA we have a number of posts with the same job title/JD, but some may have 1 department to look after and some may have several- the ones with 1 are 2 grades higher - work that out !

I did challenge it and was told because they have 1 they get ‘more involved’. And also they line manage their assistant (yes they have help !).