The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations is the membership organisation for Scotland's charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. Charity registered in Scotland SC003558. Registered office Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh EH3 6BB.
New SJC Pay scales and what should you pay your staff?
COSLA have finally announced a deal with the SJC trade unions which is good news for the many third sector organisations in Scotland that use the scales to pay their staff.
A three year pay offer has been agreed for 2018-2020, and SCVO members can access the new scales, as well as Employee Handbooks and Employers’ Guidance notes, on the COSLA website, by contacting the SCVO Information Service
SCVO does not play any part in these negotiations, and can’t offer guidance on where to place staff on the scales, but we do recognise that organisations can often struggle to know what to pay their staff. While we can’t offer specific advice, here’s a few questions to consider that may help you out:
- What’s the size and structure of your organisation? Where are you based? What about any local job market conditions?
- What’s the level of autonomy and responsibility of the post? What knowledge and experience are required? What’s the scope for decision taking, financial and staffing responsibilities, etc?
- What’s affordable? You have to always act in the best interests of your organisation and its beneficiaries when making any financial decisions, but this should be balanced with a responsibility to pay and promote the Living Wage.
- Are you competing against the private sector? Some jobs, such as those in IT and finance, may have to be pegged at a level comparable with equivalent posts in the private sector in order to attract good candidates. But it’s worth emphasising that it’s not just about the money – if you can offer other benefits, such as flexible working and greater autonomy, these can be just as important for many people.
- Can you benchmark? If you have a look at recruitment adverts on our specialist charity jobs site Goodmoves you’ll get a sense of what the sector is paying for similar roles, and you can download application packs to compare job descriptions and person specifications.
That’s a lot to think about.
But there’s another two important developments to consider. The National Minimum Wage will increase on 1 April 2019, and if you’ve got more than 250 employees you now need to comply with new reporting obligations about gender pay gaps
Good luck with all that, but if you need more help, remember the SCVO Information Service can help.
