NB for those recruited from 2016 clerical officer campaign re: increments

playerunkn0wn

*This affects everyone who was appointed from the 2016 Clerical Officer panel*

TL:DR People who performed worse in the recruitment process are receiving benefits that those who placed higher on the panel have not been afforded resulting in a significant discrepancy between the two (those appointed before/after January 18) with short and long term financial loss as a result.

Regarding break in service / increments; Circular 08 of 2019 which sets out the revised arrangements applying to starting pay. This circular supersedes previous circulars (most significantly 21/2004 and 40/2007) which had many ways of preventing a newly appointed CO (and others but in this case I am focussing on Cos) from carrying previous service toward their increments. Many of you will have been prevented from carrying previous service because you were deducted 3 years’ service on appointment or you had a break in service exceeding 6 weeks.

Basically those appointed after January 18 are entitled to carry previous service regardless of break in service, and have been back paid to January 18.

The provisions of this circular apply to those appointed after January 18. January 18 is an arbitrary and injudicious date. There is no logic provided for why that date was applied.

HOWEVER there is only one clerical officer panel. Any adjustments made to the appointment process and the entitlements of those affected should apply to the entire panel.
Instead, those who performed better in the recruitment process have been left disadvantaged. Those who are further down the panel have benefitted from this. In fact, people who were on maternity etc. who were unable to start at their intended “appointment date” have benefitted from this as because their appointment date has been delayed until AFTER January 18 they have now been able to carry all their service, regardless of break in service, and have been back paid to January 18.

The application of this circular has been incredibly unfair. People should not be essentially punished for performing better. This will result in massive financial loss to many people.

I cannot believe the union have not taken issue with this. This should have been amended to apply to the entire panel before introduction. I am not sure of the number on the panel that began appointments in January 18, I know of people who should have been appointed earlier but had to defer for various reasons and were granted the benefit of this circular. I do not know the numbers who are affected by this nationwide but I imagine it is significant.

This decision will affect the pay of those who have been disadvantaged for the rest of their career, resulting in lower pay in both the short term (losing out on previous service which would count if they were lower down the panel) and long term (being appointed at lower points on pay scales in future when promoted).
Please see Circular 08 of 2019 ( available from DPER).

Lachako

That's very interesting and is absolutely unfair to those who had multiple years previous service, who took up a post from the 2016 panel, commencing employment before January 2018 (thereby losing 3 years service when calculating their starting point on the scale), compared to those with previous service on the 2016 panel who commenced employment after January 2018 and carried all of any service they had previously accrued.

I take it you have been affected directly? Out of interest have you raised this at all with the union or sought advice on challenging it?

playerunkn0wn

I'm affected yes. I haven't decided what to do about it yet. I was thinking if there were more people affected then we could bring a case or seek legal advice etc. Sorry I haven't been on here.

Joe222

Hi

When you mention previous service what does it include?
Is it any public service role?
Would it have to be at the same equivalent grade?

Can you post up a link to the circular?

Thanks

Lachako

Joe222 wrote: »

Hi

When you mention previous service what does it include?
Is it any public service role?
Would it have to be at the same equivalent grade?

Can you post up a link to the circular?

Thanks

In my instance it was years served at the same grade and (acting) higher grade in a previous role elsewhere in the Public Service. I don't know what the exact circular is but your Local HR will. Or maybe someone else on here can advise?

You should certainly seek clarification from your Local HR if you have served elsewhere in the Public/Civil Service, at a similar grade (or higher?), to see if you are entitled to start at a higher point on the scale in your current CO role due to previous time served elsewhere. If you then commenced your current CO role pre-January 2018, from the 2016 CO panel and were deducted any years service and want to look into this further then drop me a PM.