Pay policy arrangements
Your salary and associated terms and conditions are detailed in your contract.
Shift allowance
If you work 12-hour shifts, you will be paid a pensionable shift allowance of 12½% of your basic salary. Under certain circumstances, the shift allowance will be withdrawn, for example, where a change of duty means that shifts are no longer worked.
Weekend allowance
If you are employed on a contract that requires you to work on a 5 day in 6 rota, you will be paid an allowance of 2% of your basic salary.
On-call allowance
If you have a specific rostered commitment to remain continuously and immediately available when you are not at work, you will be paid an on-call allowance at the following rates:
- Weekdays - £18.94 for each period between leaving the office and returning to the office the following day
- Weekends and Privilege holidays - £28.41 for each full 24-hour period or for a period of less than 24 hours an hourly proportion of £28.41.
- Public Holidays - £37.86 for each full 24-hour period or for a period of less than 24 hours an hourly proportion of £37.86.
If and when on-call an emergency arises and you need to attend work, normal overtime rates will apply for time worked in addition to the on-call allowance.
Overtime
You may only work overtime and record outwith bandwidth clockings if this has been approved in advance by your manager. This will be approved as either paid overtime or a flexi credit but cannot be claimed as both.
Under certain circumstances, you may be paid overtime for hours worked within a bandwidth. For example, if you have already worked 9 hours in that day and your manager requires you to work later than this or if you have already accrued an unmanageable Flexible Working Hours credit.
You will be paid at plain time rate for any overtime worked on a day that you are normally scheduled to work and double time for any overtime worked on a day you are not scheduled to work (e.g. Saturday, Sunday, public or privilege holiday, or rest day, whichever is appropriate). The overtime rate for those who are contracted to work 37 hours per week is calculated as follows:
- Annual salary ÷ 52 ÷ 37
Staff who work part-time hours should refer to their Contract of Employment to see the specific overtime arrangements that apply to them.
Night duty allowance
If you are asked by your line manager to work overtime between the hours of 8:00pm and 6:00am, you may claim a night duty allowance of 33.3% of your hourly overtime rate in addition to the approved overtime payment. In order to claim night duty allowance you must be in receipt of an overtime payment.
As Night Duty Allowance is pensionable, it must be paid as opposed to granted as a flexible working credit. An example of this type of work may be during the election evening to ensure documents and resources are ready for new Members. This allowance is not payable to shift workers as shift workers already receive a monthly shift allowance.
Payment of travel time
If you are required to travel on official business outwith your normal bandwidth, you will be paid for the time spent travelling and associated travelling costs. In agreement with your line manager this may also be claimed as flexi credit. You will not be paid for time spent travelling and associated travelling costs between your home and normal place of work except where you are travelling to and from work at the weekend or on public and privilege holidays to work overtime. Travel time is paid at the same rates as those for overtime.
Starting pay on promotion
If you are promoted to a higher grade your starting pay on promotion will be the minimum of the scale of the higher grade. If you have previously worked at a higher grade, any time spent in the higher grade will be used to calculate your new spine point and progression date.
Example 1: You are promoted from grade 2 to grade 3 however you have previously worked on a temporary promotion basis on the minimum of grade 3 for 6 months. This means your starting pay on promotion will be the grade 3 minimum and your progression date will be accelerated by 6 months to reflect your previous grade 3 service meaning you will only need to work a further 6 months on the grade 3 minimum before moving up to the next spine point.
Example 2: You are promoted from grade 3 to grade 4 however you have previously worked on a temporary promotion basis on the minimum of grade 4 for 15 months during which you progressed to the next spine point on the grade 4 salary scale. This means your starting pay on promotion will be the same spine point you attained during your previous period of temporary promotion and your progression date will be accelerated by 3 months due to the progression credit previously accrued at grade 4. You will only need to work a further 9 months at grade 4 before moving up to the next spine point.
Pay on temporary promotion
If you are covering the duties of a vacant post in a higher grade, you will be paid the rate you would be paid on promotion. Temporary promotion will be available to cover vacancies, maternity leave and long-term sick leave, but no other purpose. It will not be granted to cover annual leave or the absence of a colleague on official business. A minimum qualifying period of 4 weeks will apply.
Overpayments
We will make every effort to ensure that you are paid the correct salary and allowances. However, occasionally, overpayments may occur through, for example, retrospective unpaid special leave having been granted or as a result of an error. If such a situation does occur, it is your responsibility to draw to the attention of the Pay and Pensions Team any such discrepancies. If you have accepted an overpayment in good faith, we will recover the overpayment at a rate convenient to you.
Authorised deductions from pay
The SPCB is required to make certain statutory deductions from your pay, e.g. income tax, national insurance and superannuation contributions. The SPCB may also deduct from your pay any sum which you may owe us during the course of your employment. Further details can be found in your Contract of Employment.
Enquiries
If you have any enquiries about your pay please contact the Pay and Pensions Team.