A question, or three, for Senior Managers and Human Resources managers to
put to themselves:

"Is this post being offered at a breadwinner's rate of pay i.e. could an
adult and 1.6 children live on this alone? Or one adult and 2.4 children? Or
would a family of 5 be claiming benefits to augment this salary?" If the
employer presumes that the post will be taken by someone _with_ an employed
partner, there is an Equal Opportunity problem.

Adrian Smith
Headingley

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Morris [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 04 February 2003 10:24
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Cilip salaries policy and Appointments


This is an interesting contribution, Tony. I heartily agree that if Cilip
advertises poverty-level wages, it contributes to its own problems. Nobody
says we have to collaborate in our own oppression.
Mike
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tony McSean" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 04, 2003 9:46 AM
Subject: Cilip salaries policy and Appointments


> For me the issue in this discussion which we can really influence, is the
> advertising of very low-paid jobs in Appointments.  This was raised very
> early in the thread but got lost in the far more enjoyable process of
> on-list
>
> The matter was discussed several times while I was chair of the old LA
> Enterprises Board - discussed at the Board, in Council and fairly
regularly
> between myself and the Ents director.  The Cilip Enterprises staff
> concerned and the Ents director feel strongly that it would be wrong to
> impose any sort of wage contraints.  The arguments go beyond the perfectly
> natural reluctance to turn away money, though this is probably the
> strongest single element.  There is the matter of protecting Appointments'
> position as the dominent force in the sector for recruitment advertising;
> there are practical difficulties of trying to peer past the job title to
> see what the job actually consists of (and whether it is a "professional"
> post); here is the practical constraint oftrying to get a fortnightly
> publication to bed on time; and there is a fear that if these jobs are not
> advertised to Cilip membership then we would see more entry-level
> professional posts being.  There are other arguments, but I'm afraid I
> can't bring them to mind this early in the day so will have to leave it to
> others.
>
> Personally, I disagree with this position and think it is logical and
right
> that Cilip policy over wages should be reflected in its publications and
> have said so whenever I have not been bound by my position as chair to
> support a committee decision.  Whenever you chair a committee there are
> some issues you lose or don't feel strongly enough to go to the wall over,
> and for me this was one of those.  However, I think it is inconsistent to
> put a significantly expensive amount of effort into developing policies on
> wage guidelines and then not reflect even the simplest of these - a
minimum
> wage for any post requiring a professional qualification - in the ways we
> help our members find work.
>
> Maybe I am overly sensitive and showing my age in the distinction I draw
> between professional and paraprofessional posts.  For example, at the BMA
> will will not consider professionally qualified staff for library
assistant
> jobs.  By doing so we reduce the opportunities for the newly qualified and
> (probably) deny ourselves access to good people.  But overall I think
there
> are compelling reasons for maintaining the distinction.  The very rare
> occasions we have stepped outside this policy, for what seemed like good
> reason at the time, have not been happy experiences and we will not be
> doing it again.
>
> Tony McSean
> BMA
>
>
>
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