Public Sector Pay Policy for Staff Pay Remits 2009-10

4. THE STANDARD ELEMENTS OF EVERY PUBLIC BODY'S PAY REMIT

What costs must you include in your pay remit?

4.2 There are limits on the increases in pay and benefits that you can make in any year, with the exception of the one-off costs of harmonising terms and conditions of employment of different groups of staff as a direct result of the Scottish Government's drive to have fewer, better structured national public bodies. Harmonisation usually involves the buying-out of the more beneficial terms and conditions of employment for one group of staff. The simplification of the public sector landscape in Scotland will affect many public bodies and bring long-term benefits. To make this simplification possible you will note the short term costs of harmonisation in the pay remit proforma and business case but these costs will not count against the Public Sector Pay Policy limits. You will, of course, need to be able to accommodate the actual costs within your agreed budget for the period.

4.3 However, if your pay remit includes the merger of groups of staff and you plan to increase the pay or non-pay benefits for the existing staff group then you must include the costs of such increases in the remit proformas. These costs will count against the policy limits.

4.4 The Scottish Government encourages employers to offer staff childcare vouchers or assistance with green transport initiatives (paragraphs 5.32 and 5.33). These will not count against the Public Sector Pay Policy limits, although you will, of course, need to accommodate the actual costs within your agreed budget for the period and set out the detail in the supporting business case.

4.5 You should always seek the advice of the Finance Pay Policy Team in more complex situations.

What is the limit for pay remits approved under this policy?

4.6 There may be two parts to your pay remit proposal:

• standard elements that will be evident in all pay remits. In 2009-10 the limit on the increases to the Standard Remit Elements is 3.00% (paragraphs 4.12 and 4.13); and
• proposals to address the Key Pay Policy Priorities (paragraph 3.1).

4.7 The overall limit on the increase that you can add to your paybill (Net Paybill Increase) for both parts of your pay remit proposal is 3.00% (paragraph 5.4).

What is the limit on the Basic Award?

4.10 As well as the Basic Award, you may seek approval for increases to pay range minima and maxima as part of any proposals to address the Key Pay Policy Priorities (see paragraphs 5.25 to 5.28).

What is the standard remit limit for pay remits approved under this policy?

4.11 Whilst paragraphs 1-4 above set out what you need to cost in your pay remit, the Standard Remit Limit will only apply to the Standard Remit Elements that form part of all pay remits. These are:

• the Basic Award;
• progression;
• consolidated performance payments;
• non-consolidated payments over and above the non-consolidated pot that is included the baseline paybill; and
• increases in the costs of overtime, allowances, employers pension contributions and National Insurance Contributions that result from the increases in pay and benefits that you propose.

4.12 The limit for the Standard Remit Elements is an Increase for Staff in Post ( ISP) of 3.00%.