Salary

Stephen Gawking

I saw an advert in the side of a parked bus today detailing how much a dublin bus driver apparently earns each week. I'm not thinking of applying but from talking to a neighbour whose husband is a driver it seems they're very angry that this info is being used in a recruitment campaign.

Personally i don't see any issue but it got me thinking, can an employer legally do that? Publish salary details in such a public manner? I pointed out that an ad on a recruitment could have the same details but this eent down like a lead balloon. Anyone shed any light on this?

zell12

Of course they can.

I've heard that they publish the salaries of public and civil servants, even politicians!

Bicyclette

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058278595/salary

What are your neighbours trying to hide?

Its all about transparency, consistency and equality. Everyone who applies for the job knows what they will be starting on - regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age, etc etc. You know that the people you are working with will be on similar salary scales to you. You know that if you pass your probation you will be on X amount.

billyhead

This has to be a piss take. Most occupations salary is publicly available online.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120078224#Comment_120078224

No it isn't. Only in the civil and public service, along with semi states and the like.

Stephen Gawking

Why would you assume I'm taking the piss? It just got me thinking is all. Most jobs I've ever applied for including the one i do know never advertised the salary. It was always discussed at interview stage. I've never worked on the public sector. As i said i wouldn't have a problem with it if it applied to me.

hullaballoo

Public sector pay scales are public information.

From a legal interest perspective there might be a few reasons for this, not all of which I'll mention, why it's ok for public sector but could create difficulties in the private sector.

Transparency is obviously a policy objective for state or semi-states but it doesn't of itself alone mean salaries are made public.

The crucial factor I think is that salaries are collectively bargained for the most part or set by legislation, making them public by dint of being on the books. In other words, there is a kind of public contractual offer that anyone who meets relevant job specifications can accept.

Plus they are only scales, the points in the scale applying to any given staff member in the public sector are not revealed. They can possibly be worked out if you know enough about the individual but even then there is always scope for off scale salaries in exceptional circumstances.

I would think on that basis, the starting salary for a specific public sector role isn't exactly a state secret.

L1011

All public sector and most semi-state salary scales are public info; if they want to be angry they can go back and tell themselves before they started the job cause the figures were public then too.

I suspect the anger is because people knowing that its actually not that badly paid a job doesn't work well when looking for support for strikes for pay rises...

Go-Ahead putting their figures on the side of the buses might actually help arguments against privatisation though! (it would provide some evidence for saying conditions are disimproved)

Pawwed Rig

There is a salary survey every year in my industry where anyone can see the average salary at each level. In previous employments everyone knew what pay each grade got. All private sector