This morning, officials from the NCOA will be representing our members at the oral hearing of the NCA Remuneration Review Body (NCARRB).
We will be questioned on both our own submission and the Pay reform proposals drawn up by the Agency. In the interests of transparency, we have obtained an assurance from the NCA that they will share their submission with you today.
Whilst the NCA document will provide you with some information regarding the principles of the proposal, it simply does not provide the detail which we know is still being discussed behind the scenes. For example, who precisely is in scope to move to the Spot Rate system and how is the increased non-consolidated budget to be managed and distributed? Although this is part of a separate fund beyond the direct remit of the NCARRB, it is so intrinsically linked to the NCA’s proposal that neither aspect can be considered in isolation.
Concessions
Today, for the first time you will be made aware of a number of concessions which come as part of the Pay Reform model, those concessions will come from you rather than the Agency. There are apparently no financial drivers for these changes but they will result in increased productivity and efficiency for your employer which you will need to consider carefully.
We will highlight these areas in greater detail over the next few days.
Who will Move to Spot Rates?
On the 1st November we made a request for details of all posts considered by the NCA to be ‘eligible’ to move to any ‘approved’ Spot Rate system. Since that time, we have made two further requests particularly given our attendance at the NCARRB today.
Between 6:30pm and 10pm last night (27th November), NCOA received additional documentation from the Agency via email. This material included a clear position that they will not identify which officers are ‘in scope’ until February next year. There is no acceptable explanation for this!!
We will be making our position very clear that, without trust and transparency there will be no buy-in to a proposal which is already seen by many as divisive and unfair by many members.
It is clear that the Agency is reluctant to give it up this information despite the fact that they have already carried out detailed pay modelling using identified groups of ‘eligible officers’ and the financial impact on their budget were they to move across into the new pay bands.
Whilst we will continue to pursue this, it demonstrates yet again how the Agency is reluctant to share potential bad news, despite hoping for your loyal understanding and support for something you really know very little about.
NCA Remuneration Committee
Internally, The NCA Remuneration Committee has been established to manage any successful pay reform transition including both the identification of ‘eligible roles’ and the allocation of allowances.
To date we have been sceptical about the objective processes being used to identify who the NCA is likely to focus on. More importantly, our scepticism and early challenges are compounded by the decision to set up the Committee whilst still not agreeing to allow the NCOA to at very least, observe the processes and assessments on pay.
Our recommendation to have a representative position at Remuneration Committee meetings would go some way to providing levels of assurance officers rightly expect, with regards to fairness, objectivity and transparency.
The recent Staff Survey results show yet another 'downward spiral' which we will be referring to at the hearing today. It is therefore astonishing that the Employer has decided the best way to treat its disgruntled staff is to tell them as little as possible in the hope they will simply fall in line.
Following today’s hearing NCOA will be taking part in a series of scheduled meetings with the NCA regarding the issues raised. We will also begin to roll out a number of workplace meetings to discuss the issues and your frustrations first-hand, as the NCA Pay reform case is revealed …. bit by bit.