PRP: 15 years to get to the top of your grade if you’re “good”

What Justin Bieber may look like in 2030

Have you recently started in a new role in Camden? If so and you are at the bottom of your pay grade on the P&M contracts (so level 3 zone 1 and up) then it could be 2030 by the time you get to the top of the grade – and only then if you score a 3 in your appraisal every year. And if you are lower paid, you may never reach the top.

At the moment no performance related pay matrix has been agreed for P&M grade posts this year or beyond. But if management intends to use the same matrix as last time (nothing for an appraisal score of 1 or 2, 2% for a 3, 2.5% +1% nonconsolidated bonus for a 4 and 3% +2% nonconsolidated bonus for a 5) then workers on the new contracts at the bottom of the levels 3 or 4 who score a 3 every year (as most of us do) will not reach the top of their grade until 2030. 

This is assuming 1% NJC pay increases after 2016. If NJC pay increases outstrip 1% then this will take even longer.

 To illustrate, see this graph showing what would happen to your pay if you were on the bottom of level 3 zone 1, and what would happen to the top of the pay scale every year moving forwards.

For workers on level 6 scoring a 3, they wouldn’t surpass the top of the grade until April 2035 (but of course as we showed in our previous report on PRP, senior managers at this level generally award themselves higher ratings of 4 or 5).

For the lower paid on the SP grades (level 2 zone 2 and below) the picture is even worse. Anyone on the bottom of the scale would take at least 7 years to get to the top. But to progress beyond the midpoint workers must score a 4 or 5 two years in a row, which will mean in reality many will never get to the top of the scale.

Workers on the old contracts will continue to reach the top of their, mostly narrower, grades within three or four years.

We don’t think that taking 15 years to get on top of your grade is acceptable, so we have told management we want to discuss the PRP matrix to be used for this year and have put it on the agenda for the next Corporate Joint Consultative Committee (a regular meeting between Camden UNISON and senior management and HR). We will keep members updated with any developments.

Background

Camden UNISON continues to oppose PRP in principle, as well as on practical grounds. In our detailed report last year we demonstrated that it is discriminatory, and disadvantages those earning under £40,000 per year, black and minority ethnic workers, workers over 45, part-time workers and disabled workers. And our extensive staff survey also showed it was deeply unpopular, with over 81% of respondents supporting its abolition unpaid with only 8% in favour, 87% not being motivated by it compared with only 3% strongly motivated by, and 54% of respondents being more likely to want to leave the Council as a result.

This year we also successfully achieved getting the 2.2% NJC pay award +0.45% nonconsolidated payment to all staff regardless of performance rating.

We have also been requesting the PRP scores data given to staff last year broken down by equality characteristic since August, and have been promised it by management this week so we will also update members as soon as we see it.