Pay cuts all round!!

[kevin wooldridge]

Having finally returned to the warmth of the house for the rest of the year, finally conceding defeat to the Norwegian autumn blizzards I decided to catch up with a bit of the Outwage backlog. And noticed a strange thing. Has anyone else observed that a number of BAJR advertisers have reduced their wage levels?

First off there was that strange case of Headland Archaeology that was commented on a few weeks ago on the BAJR forum. Despite our Hosts lengthy explanation it still seems at the end of the day pretty much like a wage cut to me.

Now there is Glasgow City Council advertising the job of Assistant Archaeologist at £130 per year lower than the rate the same job attracted in June.

And then there is L-P Archaeology advertising for Archaeologists at BAJR Grade 3 (£279 pw) when they were offering £288pw for the same job exactly one year ago.

And then there are the poor old Irish archaeologists. ASC (Ireland) are offering a draughtsperson 415 euros for a 40 hour week, which due to fluctuations in the euro/sterling exchange rate, now falls below the BAJR minimum for a technical grade. (Well infact falls below the BAJR grade for just about everything!!)

Have I entered a parallel universe or someink? Or is this a worrying new trend?

[BAJR Host]

No parrallel universe I am afraid...

The Headland Archaeology one has been answered at length as you say, and I feel is an adequate explanation of what will be a new sub grading that will be coming in soon... overlapping grades, that allow people to progress and even if they wish to remain G4 they could end up paid more than a junior G5. So the 'pay cut' is not really fair, as it represents a junior grade where someone is being trained and is ready to move into a full G4 job... where they will get paid the corresponding rate (ie over 16137) - I happen to know that Headland has several training schemes, seminars, CPD etc to help people enhance skills....

Glasgow payscale is

quote:UKP 18,840 - UKP 20,673 (pending Glasgow City Council's review of its pay and grading

The previous advert is

quote:UKP 18,966 - UKP 20,808 April 2006 Pay Awards Pending

This will be down to regrading, however you note the scale not the bottom level. like it or not, it still conforms to above 18450 for a G5 plus pension, plus holiday plus sickness So is not a bad package.

The L-P archaeology (unless you have talked to them is a G3 which can range from 279 - 305 quid

The ACS Draughtman job (and speaking as a draughtsman myself) is a Tech 1 type job.... that one was more borderline... the drop in the euro did not help, as it now is 2 quid below G3...

The 40 hour week rule will be fully enforced in April 2007 as I need the support of the IFA on this one. It becomes very complicated, especially when tied up with negotiations to raise the wages significantly across the board, which is not easy I can tell you...

Thanks for being BAJRwatch.. )

Until people stat falling below levels (significantly) there is little I can do.... If it is a G5 job and they pay G5 wages, then if they put the bottom end of the scale down 130 quid, but are still above the 18450... then they have done nothing wrong.

I would be interested to see the JIS looked at as well to see if there are any who advertise there but not here, and what the proportion of below pay is found there.

cheers Kevin... you keep me on my toes





"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu

[BAJR Host]

Recieved this emssage which I have been asked to pass on... re the Glasgow job :-

"There is no reduction or regrading of the assistant archaeologist post salary. It was nothing more than a simple mistake when the assistant archaeologist post was advertised earlier this year (by me not noticed by the Personnel section - I picked the wrong salary spinal column points from the Council's list for the earlier advert). The current grade as advertised is the actual grade which should have been advertised earlier in the year, and we are still awaiting the results of the City Council's Pay and Benefits Review for the new grade to be attached to this particular post. As you say in your own post to the Forum on this matter, the advert is offering a good employment package nonetheless. Archaeological salaries cannot be described as being low in our particular corner of the public sector, and I have always sought to ensure that a proper professional salary rate is paid for all of the West of Scotland Archaeology Service posts, finding the money in our budget as required to cover this."

Hope that clears it up for this one..

"No job worth doing was ever done on time or under budget.."
Khufu