Public and Commercial Services Union

1 October 2008

Offer below inflation and potential discriminatory bonus payments

Following the conclusion of the harmonisation of pay and grading in DIUS, your PCS negotiators have been in talks with the Department about this years pay award.

We have conducted the negotiations constructively, despite the fact that the Treasury will not give the money to the department enabling members to have cost of living pay increases.

 

Unfortunately DIUS in line with other government departments are only prepared to increase the maximum of the scales by 2%. This is despite the fact that inflation is running, at least, between 4.4% (CPI the governments chosen method) and 5% (RPI), with food and fuel prices running into double digit inflation figures.

Progression

Apart from the above commitments there have been no marked improvements to enable members to reach the maximum of the scale, which we believe is the rate for the job. This means that in real terms the vast majority of our members will be getting a cut in pay.

Non-consolidated or bonus payments

DIUS has over £½ million in its budget for non consolidated payments; these have been in the main used for one off bonus payments to ‘high performers’ in former DfES and the operation of special bonus schemes in DTI.

PCS have objected to this because on closer scrutiny it is clear that the implementation of this is ‘skewed’ against those members in under represented groups (BME, disabled, older and part time workers, lower paid grades), furthermore it is harder for those in lower paid grades to win a bonus payment.

DIUS propose to use 50% of the non consolidated money on this policy, and because of the inherent inequalities, PCS cannot accept this.

Arguably worse, it is further proposed that the remainder of this money will be used to fund a scheme based on nominations to a set panel, payments will be awarded at £250 a time.

PCS have also objected to this, as we predict that this will favour the very few, could often mean that the same people get the payments, and that if there is a failure to ‘spend’ the money that towards the end of the year we will see an ‘end of season sale’ where the criteria will be less stringent than at the start making the system even more inconsistent.

At a meeting this week, PCS negotiators made direct representations to the permanent secretary, Ian Watmore, about how the non-consolidated pay pot should be spent.

We explained that we wanted the money to be spread as equally as possible across the grades and across box markings. We further explained that we believed that the box mark figures across DIUS showed inequalities between those who got Box 1 or “highly successful” markings and everybody else. And that those people who were least likely to get additional money were shown to be from under-represented groups.

We explained that our priority was to ensure that our members get an inflation-proofed increase and if the department was sincere about their messages to staff acknowledging the role everybody had played in setting up the new Department despite the difficulties, one good way of demonstrating this was through how money was spent – which we believe should be as equally as possible. This would also show a willingness to address the economic pressures members are now facing.

We are now awaiting a final offer from the department and have asked the department for time to consult you through members meetings over the next few weeks.

If you have any questions about this circular then please contact Marion.lloyd@dius.gsi.gov.uk

Yours sincerely

Andrew Lloyd, group secretary

Marion Lloyd, group president