On Monday, 22 February 2016 15:17:14 UTC, wrote:
This is a recent Press release
Managers and specialists at the Met Office will be taking strike action on
Wednesday 24 February 2016. The Prospect members will be lobbying
parliament, putting their case to their MPs and mounting picket lines in a
bid to get the government to grant the Met Office more freedom in how it
rewards its staff.
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The union says that government pay policy is restricting the Met Office's
ability to:
a.. close the equal pay gap
b.. recruit and retain the specialist staff it needs
c.. match pay rates in the private sector (the Met Office is 20-30%
behind).
According to the Office for National Statistics, the average national pay
gap is 9.4%. The Met Office carried out an equal pay audit in 2014-2015
which showed the gap at 10.7%.
Prospect says the Met Office is a successful, efficient and growing
business, returning profit to the government. It provides a benefit
multiplier on public spending rarely equalled elsewhere. It can afford to
reward people properly but is not permitted that freedom.
Prospect negotiator Helen Stevens said: "Prospect members do not take this
action lightly. They are loyal and committed to their work but they believe
that the current pay policy is damaging the Met Office and its ability to
serve its customers."
Stevens pointed out that government talks the talk on fair and equal pay,
but does not walk the walk.
The Prime Minister, David Cameron, urged successful business to pay their
employees more in a speech to the British Chamber of Commerce in 2015.
[https://www.gov.uk/government/speech...rce-pm-speech]
Earlier this month, the women and equalities minister, Nicky Morgan,
announced government plans to get rid of the equal pay gap
[https://www.gov.uk/government/consul...gap-reporting].
"The Met Office modernised its pay system in 2009, but the system has never
been allowed to work. The impact is that women are being discriminated
against and the Met Office is unable to recruit specialist staff.
"The Met Office needs these people to maintain the public weather service
and realise the considerable benefits of the investment in the Met Office's
new super computer.
"The pay problems at the Met Office would not cost the taxpayer a penny
extra to resolve. Prospect is simply calling on the government to give the
Met Office the freedom to manage its own paybill," added Stevens.
Why Prospect members are taking action
"More than five years of pay restraint is taking its toll on our lives, our
families and our morale at home and at work. We are demonstrably undervalued
compared to private sector scientists, but still we slave away on meagre
wages on one of the most important issues of our age."
"To have a vocation is fine - but you need fair pay to keep your family
well."
"When we work hard to make our employer efficient and world-class, why can
we not get a fair part of the reward? Is that not what this government says
is fair and essential?"
"British pride in meteorological science is at risk due to government's
insufficient investment in human resources."
Will
--
" Some sects believe that the world was created 5000 years ago. Another sect
believes that it was created in 1910 "
http://www.lyneside.demon.co.uk/Hayt...antage_Pro.htm
Will Hand (Haytor, Devon, 1017 feet asl)
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The trouble is I am not sure what support they have from the general public.
As a local lady in my village said to me yesterday:
'I don't why they are asking for more pay . They never get the forecast right.'
;-)
Len
Wembury
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