Principles of Pay Modernisation

The University and the campus trade unions sought to provide a graded pay structure that staff would regard as attractive, flexible, fair and affordable, bearing in mind the following objectives that any agreement should:

• apply to all staff covered by the remit of the JNCHES, except clinical academics;
• have been developed in partnership with the recognised trade unions, working to reach negotiated agreements on a timely basis;
• link with the nationally determined pay spine in a clearly defined, rational and orderly manner;
• support the achievement of equal pay for work of equal value, with the application of pay points to staff being transparent, consistent and fair;
• base the allocation of staff to grades on the outcomes of job evaluation arrangements which:
  - enable equitable, consistent and transparent judgements to be made about the relative value or size of jobs;
  - apply institution-wide, covering all groups of staff;
  - reflect the JNCHES guidance on job evaluation/role analysis;
  - have been administered in consultation with the recognised unions;
  - provide access to appropriate review procedures, in the event of disputes about grading outcomes;
• apply common grading across all staff groups;
• are appropriate to the objectives and culture of the University;
• provide for salary and career progression to attract, retain and motivate staff, rewarding appropriately their knowledge, experience and contribution;
• have regard to the resources agreed by the University Council for implementation of a new graded pay structure;
• is readily implementable over a sustained period;
• have been developed and introduced in consultation with those affected - managers, staff and their representatives;
• is readily understandable to staff and clearly communicated to them.

The main outcome of the modernisation was the Durham University Graded Pay Structure and the Durham University Modernising Pay Agreement.