Civil service: promotion would be a pay cut (details in post). Can you ever negotiate pay when transferring departments?

[mintchocolatecoffee]

There seem to be a few civil servants around here so I’m hoping someone can help answer this.

Short version: does a mechanism exist by which to negotiate pay when moving between departments, or is the policy always set in stone?

Long version:

I work in a specialist technical profession. I’m a substantive SEO but have been on temporary promotion to G7 for over a year in several roles through internal moves and EOI. My current role ends late this year, so I have until then to find something substantive.

I’m currently getting my current department’s fairly high G7 salary, plus an extra non-pensionable allowance for my specific skills / profession.

I don’t want to keep my current role as it’s not the right focus for me, and it’s unlikely to become permanent anyway. I’d have liked to stay in my department, but I’ve been looking out for permanent vacancies for months and nothing has come up due to headcount issues, and a lot of recruitment is being delayed now due to spending review processes.

So I’ve been applying and interviewing for G7 roles in other departments and am waiting to hear about some. Most have lower pay scales and no extra allowance. If I go in at the usual ‘10% bump or the bottom of the band, whichever is highest’ it’s going to be a pay cut. And on paper they don’t have to match even my G7 pay because it’s temporary.

Obviously this is the point of the skills allowance - it’s meant to keep me in my department! But I’d like a job with a different kind of focus, to the point where I would consider a pay cut.

I’d just find it really helpful to know if there’s any mechanism by which you can negotiate. Not if I have grounds to - that’s obviously the hiring manager’s decision. But if they wanted to pay me more within their pay band, is there a way in which they could? I know you can write a business case to pay external candidates more, and one hiring manager said they‘d be willing to write one to try and get me some extra salary once I’d accepted a role and started, but I’d like to know if I can negotiate before I’m in. I suspect the answer is no, but would appreciate any advice. Thanks!

Short answer is no.

You can ask but the answer will be 10% or the scale minima.

There may well be some seriously exception circs at SCS-level, but for G7, I wouldnt have thought any reasoning would permit change of payscales - especially as you arent even considered an external candidate.

It’s very dependent on where you are transferring to and how they handle it and it is definitely not advertised. My friend transferred from one to another and they said he could put a case forward as to why he should be on a higher salary than the 10%. He used his experience and current allowances as justification and they allowed him to move higher in the bracket.

That’s very interesting to hear, thank you!

I work in one of the digital, data and technology (DDAT) ‘group 1’ professions where there’s a known shortage of people with the right skills and some of the roles I’ve applied for have had previous failed recruitments as a result, possibly because they don’t offer extra skills allowances. I’m not realistically expecting to match my current pay which is higher than a standard G6 salary where I am - I’d be happy with something higher up the band.