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2009 / 2010 Treasury pay remit guidance published

1 April 2009

After considerable delay, the guidance was published to departments late yesterday.

As you know, issuing the guidance has now occurred following several cancelled meetings in the last few months.

A hastily arranged meeting of unions with Treasury and Cabinet Office officials took place yesterday morning (31 March) but this afforded only a very brief and unsatisfactory opportunity to consider and comment on the draft.

Publication of the final version followed quickly after yesterday’s written statement from Gordon Brown about senior civil service pay (base pay rises of 1.5%), and other public spending issues.

Key contents of the guidance are:

  • An average basic award (i.e. revalorisation, or increases to maximums) of 1.5%. Note that this is stated to be an average, not a limit or “cap”.
  • Range of overall remit amounts (Increase for staff in post metric) of 1% to 4%. Unlike in previous years, no average overall amount is stated.
  • Details about using efficiency savings to improve pay, but note the very tight “cut off” date of 30 May 09 for submission of proposals.
  • Existing multi-year outcomes are to continue.
  • Potential change (relaxation?) of costing rules for some items e.g. annual leave, maternity leave and similar conditions (paragraph 8.8.1).
  • Most bargaining units with less than 3,400 staff, will have their remit cleared by the sponsor department, not Treasury. Previously this figure was 500.
  • The full guidance document is 46 pages.

A more detailed analysis and commentary will follow in the next few days. This will include guidance on the details for handling efficiency savings (see paragraphs 7.3.1 to 7.3.4 and Annex 4).

Arising from the considerable delay in dealing with Efficiency Savings, and due to the very tight deadline of 30 May imposed by Treasury, all negotiators are now urged to:

1. Seek early meetings with management in each organisation.

2. Press for urgent data on potential and actual savings.

3. Ensure that organizations are moving ahead rapidly with this work.

Please note that we will be calling for reports on this important topic, to advise the NEC on progress in the near future.

Finally, details about the PCS standard pay claim for 2009, and the handling of this, will be sent to you in the near future.

Geoff Lewtas, national pay co-ordinator

  Civil service pay guidance 2009, published by the Treasury

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