As you know, the 2019 Pay Review Process stuttered into life a couple of weeks ago and is subject to strict timetabling to ensure that an autumn pay award can be made.
As you know, the 2019 Pay Review Process stuttered into life a couple of weeks ago and is subject to strict timetabling to ensure that an autumn pay award can be made.
Following the very late remit letter from the Home Secretary dated 1st February; all parties were instructed to submit their pay cases to the NCARRB by the 22nd February. Our report was published at that time (as is required of the process) . . . yet the NCA failed to reveal its case to the Pay Review Body!
On the 8th March, two weeks after the ‘deadline’, the NCA case had still not been submitted and I wrote to the NCARRB Secretariat outlining my concerns around the process. Delays now could of course have an impact on the NCARRB delivering its findings in a timely manner, which in turn will push back non-powers pay negotiations. Delays to the August pay award would be wholly unacceptable in this unfolding scenario.
Whilst I recognise we are in the middle of Brexit negotiations, it is the case that other public sector bodies subject to independent pay review, are not experiencing delays associated with Brexit. This therefore cannot be the reason for any further delays in the NCA process.
In response to raising concerns with the NCARRB on your behalf the head of the NCARRB Secretariat wrote to all parties to give notification of an intention to stay the review body process if the NCA does not provide the outstanding evidence.
We sincerely hope that this delay does not occur, for the reasons previously mentioned, and that the NCA finds a way to share its pay plans for 2019 as soon as possible.
Simon Boon
General Secretary
See Full letter below:
1 FLEETBANK HOUSE
8TH FLOOR
2-6 SALISBURY SQUARE
LONDON
EC4Y 8JX
Telephone 0207 211 8294
E-mail edmund.quilty@beis.gov.uk
Website www.gov.uk/ome
To: Simon Boon. National Crime Officers’ Association
11 March 2019
National Crime Agency Remuneration Review Body – 2019/20 Pay Round. Notification to evidence-giving parties of intention to stay review body process
The National Crime Agency Remuneration Review Body (NCARRB or “the review body”) received a remit letter for the 2019/20 pay round which it circulated to the parties on 12 February, requesting that written evidence be submitted by 22 February.
This is to inform all the parties to the process that the NCARRB has still to receive the written evidence (“the outstanding evidence”) it requested from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Home Office to inform its work on the 2019/2020 NCA pay round. This evidence is required in order for the review body to deliver on the requirements placed upon it by the terms of the remit letter. While the evidence remains outstanding, the review cannot complete the task asked of it.
The timetable for the pay round was already stretched given the late receipt of the remit letter. The review body has now reached the point where all the available timetable contingencies have been used up, if there is to be any possibility of submitting the final report within the desired deadline.
Accordingly, I have been asked to let you know that, if the outstanding evidence is not received by Friday 15 March, the Review Body will have no choice but to stay its process pending receipt of that evidence.
If a stay is imposed, then as and when the required evidence is received, the review body will reconvene, after having taken appropriate soundings from the parties, and set out a timetable for the completion of its work.
If the evidence is not received by the due deadline, the review body will reconsider its position, and I will write to you if and when a stay is imposed.
Ed Quilty
Head of NCA Remuneration Review Body Secretariat