Same job, different council- pay advice needed please

megc_2

Hi. I'm a social worker with a local council at the top spine point of my pay grade. I've worked there for almost 5 years (will be 5 years on 31st Jan). I have been offered a social work post with a different council and am trying to find out if there is any particular guidance in place for this situation re pay.
The new council grades social workers in a higher grade, but as I'm at the top of my grade now would I transfer to the top of the new grade? I've heard about continuity of service between councils but don't know whether this will apply and most councils are on Christmas closure so I can't ask anyone in HR.
Can anyone advise?

lincroft1710

As there appears to be no nationally agreed grading structure then I would suggest you ask/negotiate with the new employer about your pay spine point.

sangie595

If the rate is higher then the normal practice would be that you start at the bottom of the new grade, or at the "matching" spinal point if there is overlap. Your progression within a band is not a protected characteristic of the agreements if you are moving on to a higher band. The grades themselves - the spinal column points - are in fact a nationally agreed structure. What is paid for a specific role is a matter for job evaluation, and job evaluation is not a national structure.

megc_2

Ah, okay, thanks.

sangie595

I have just realised that it is December. Yes, silly I know, but I wasn't thinking months in relation to wages. You should ask HR whether you get progression in April to the next spinal column point. In some places you wouldn't get it until the April after if you start work in January. In which case you could ask for a one scp increase on the starting salary. But ask nicely because they are not obliged to give it. Some places will, some won't.

pandora205

I work for a Local Authority and manage others on a national pay scale which often varies slightly between LAs in the ranges offered. Our practice is to at least match the current pay increment (and the applicant would be eligible to progress to the higher point when this was due). However, where there is a shortage (and this would potentially apply to social workers if the LA is using expensive agency staff) an extra point could be negotiated. Although it is (our) LA policy to appoint at the bottom of the grade, the recruiting manager (e.g. SW manager) would make the business case to recruit above this level to the LA's HR Department. This is usually accepted as long as there is a good reason to do this (e.g. a small number of applicants for the post, or a vacancy that has been readvertised).

So, I'd suggest you negotiate before signing a contract or resigning from your current post. You have nothing to lose.

sangie595

pandora205 wrote: »

I work for a Local Authority and manage others on a national pay scale which often varies slightly between LAs in the ranges offered. Our practice is to at least match the current pay increment (and the applicant would be eligible to progress to the higher point when this was due). However, where there is a shortage (and this would potentially apply to social workers if the LA is using expensive agency staff) an extra point could be negotiated. Although it is (our) LA policy to appoint at the bottom of the grade, the recruiting manager (e.g. SW manager) would make the business case to recruit above this level to the LA's HR Department. This is usually accepted as long as there is a good reason to do this (e.g. a small number of applicants for the post, or a vacancy that has been readvertised).

So, I'd suggest you negotiate before signing a contract or resigning from your current post. You have nothing to lose.

The higher grade for social workers is usually a reflection of recruitment issues anyway - higher paid positions usually occur in areas where recruitment is difficult.

It is worth negotiating, but I would be surprised if any council is allowing such flexibility on standard terms now. No matter how valuable social workers may be, every increment paid that doesn't need to be is someone's job at risk. Social care needs a lot more staff than just social workers, and they have to be paid for from the same social care budget.

gizmo111

megc wrote: »

Hi. I'm a social worker with a local council at the top spine point of my pay grade. I've worked there for almost 5 years (will be 5 years on 31st Jan). I have been offered a social work post with a different council and am trying to find out if there is any particular guidance in place for this situation re pay.
The new council grades social workers in a higher grade, but as I'm at the top of my grade now would I transfer to the top of the new grade? I've heard about continuity of service between councils but don't know whether this will apply and most councils are on Christmas closure so I can't ask anyone in HR.
Can anyone advise?

Ask the recruiting manager - you can negotiate, permanent staff are like gold dust in most authorities they will pay to ensure that you start. You will get continuous service but make sure that you inform the new HR that you have this and make sure that you hand in your notice with the last date you work for the old LA to be the day before you start the new job - so if you start on a Monday your last day in the old LA is the sunday so that there is no break.

sangie595

In local authorities it's four weeks. An employee can have a break up to four weeks between jobs without breaking continuity of employment.

megc_2

Never done this before, so who would I negotiate with- the new manager or the HR department?
Thank you so much for the advice,it's so useful.

sangie595

megc wrote: »

Never done this before, so who would I negotiate with- the new manager or the HR department?
Thank you so much for the advice,it's so useful.

You must speak to the manager - you never talk to HR. But as I said, do be cautious in your approach. You already have a higher grade, you have a line of work facing terrible cuts - you do not want your first impression to be money-grabbing. These are not things you are entitled to - so you are asking and not telling. Public sector, at the level you are talking about, do not tend to negotiate, and less so now. And whilst such conversations ought to be private, they aren't always, and the impression you set could be with co-workers and not just managers or HR.