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The next meeting of the Bank Committee was on March 17th when the Chairman stated that he had now interviewed Alderman Kenrick in the presence of the Town Clerk. Alderman Kenrick had put forward certain suggestions in a Memorandum which the Committee considered, together with a report by the General Manager:

 

The alternative suggested in the Memorandum is to remunerate at a higher level (presumably at appropriate stage) than the normal transmutation referred to in paragraph 3(a) of the Salaries, Wages and labour Committee's Report to the City Council in October last.

 

The result, apart from uplift previously shown, represents, in the case of males, increases varying from £15 to £90, and, in the case of females, increases varying from nil to £75. 

 

MALES	In lieu of £25
Cashiers	£15 additional	(with payment for overtime)
	£45        "	(without payment for overtime)
Senior Cashiers	£15        "	(with payment for overtime)
	£40        "	(without payment for overtime)
Relief Branch Managers	£40 - £45 additional
Branch Managers (3rd class)	£75 - £90      "
Branch Managers (2nd class)	£40 - £50       "
Branch Managers (1st class)	£50 additional

 

FEMALES
Ledger clerks, Cashiers, Machine Operators and Typists (2nd class)	The recommendation is to divide officers in this Grade into two classes. Senior officers transmuted to Higher Clerical Division would receive an additional £52 in lieu of £25, while those remaining in Clerical Division would get nothing additional
Cashiers, Machine Operators and Typists (1st class)	£26 -£35 additional
Former Grade 4 (not in use at present)	- - - - -
Administrative Officer, Confidential Clerk, and Welfare Officer	Nil (with payment for overtime) £30 additional (without payment for overtime)
Branch Managers	£75 additional

 

The alternative in the case of the General Division, both male and female, is by way of adding one year to age scale.

 

In certain cases alternative grades with or without payment for overtime have been suggested, as follows:

 

MALES

 

Cashiers	APT I  £330 - £375 APT II £360 - £405	with payment for overtime, or without payment for overtime
Senior Cashiers	APT III  £390 - £435 APT IV £420 - £465	with payment for overtime, or without payment for overtime

 

 

FEMALES

 

Former Grade 4 (at present not in use)	APT II  £350 - £405 APT III £390 - £435	with payment for overtime, or without payment for overtime
Administrative Officer, Confidential Clerk, and Welfare Officer	APT III  £390 - £435 APT IV £420 - £465	with payment for overtime, or without payment for overtime

 

It would simplify matters if the necessity for overtime payments were eliminated where practicable. In the cases above, if the rates without payment for overtime were used, it would be necessary to specify in the conditions of service that the hours to be worked would be those necessary to perform satisfactorily the duties of the office.

 

The approximate cost, as compared with the original salary scheme, is as follows:

 

	Uplift		Total	Increment 1947
	1946 £	1947 £	£	£
Original Scheme (including £25)	9,321	5,873	15,194	1,419
Alternative Scheme	9,375	8,614	17,989	1,622

 

The cost of the Alternative Scheme suggested by Alderman Kenrick, over and above £25 and excluding 1947 increments, is £2,795 per annum.

 

After consideration of the papers submitted, the Committee formally resolved:

 

That the Salaries, Wages and Labour Committee be informed that this Committee have considered the proposals contained in the Memorandum prepared with the authority of Alderman Kenrick, together with a report of the General Manager showing the effect thereof; and this Committee are very concerned at (a) the serious anomalies which would arise in the salaries of the Bank Staff by substituting widely different amounts for what was an equal amount of £25; (b) the further substantial increase in annual cost; and (c) the dissatisfaction which might be felt in other Departments at disproportionately large adjustments over the original Bank scheme. They accordingly request the Salaries, Wages and Labour Committee to reconsider the matter.

 

The following day (March 18th) the Bank's Chairman (Alderman Barrow) wrote to Alderman Kenrick (Chairman of the Salaries, Wages and Labour Committee) informing him that the Bank Committee had carefully considered his Memorandum in which his alternative scheme would give an increase varying from £15 to £90 in the case of males, and an increase varying from nil to £75 in the case of females.

 

The letter then quoted the detailed data that had been included in the General Manager's report before continuing:

 

I think you will agree that any scheme which involves the substitution of such widely different amounts for what was an equal payment of £25, can hardly be acceptable. Take for example the case of L A Wright, Branch Manager (3rd class), who, under the original scheme (less £25) would receive an uplift of £60. Under the alternative scheme he would receive £150 uplift. ie, £90 instead of £25 for special conditions of service. On the other hand, Miss E Jones, Cashier (1st Class), under the original scheme (less £25), would receive an uplift of £19. Under the alternative scheme she would receive £45 uplift, ie, £26 instead of £25 for special conditions of service.

 

The alternative scheme suggested in the Memorandum would increase the total amount of uplift from £15,194 to £17,989, which would mean the annual charge for special conditions of service being increased from £5,000 to £7,795.

 

Having regard to all the facts, the Bank Committee expressed their concern at the serious anomalies which would occur in the salaries of members of the Bank staff, and also at the substantial increased cost, and directed that a copy of their resolution on this matter should be forwarded to the Salaries, Wages and Labour Committee, requesting that the whole matter be reconsidered, with a view to the original allowance of £25, with a graduated amount in the General Division, being approved. There does not seem to be any other equitable solution.

 

Subsequently, the General Manager discussed with a Mr H Allen (the Establishment Officer) whether it would be possible for the Bank's requirements to be met under Clause 23(d) of the Scheme of Conditions of Service drawn up by the National Joint Council. However, when reporting to the Bank Committee on April 14th, the General Manager informed members that Mr Allen was still considering the matter but had suggested that it might be possible to obtain the views of the National Joint Council.

 

Accordingly, the Bank Committee resolved that should the Chairman consider it expedient he should request the Salaries, Wages and Labour Committee to approach the National Joint Council with a view to finding a suitable solution.

 

At the Bank Committee meeting of April 21st, the General Manager quoted Clause 23(d) of the National Scheme:

 

The salary of the officer may be increased by an amount in excess of the normal scale increment on the grounds of special merit or ability.

 

The General Manager reported that he had informally discussed with Mr Allen the possibility of this clause being applied, but was informed that the opinion of the Employer's Secretary to the West Midlands Provincial Joint Council was that:

 

(a) merit increases should not continue beyond the maximum of the scale in which the officer is graded; the intention being to grade the post and not the officer.

 

(b) merit increases should be a multiple of the scale increment concerned.

 

This avenue being closed, the following proposal was considered by the Committee:

 

(i) That each officer at present in receipt of the plus rate of £25 shall continue to receive such rate so long as he remains in his present grade.

 

(ii) On promotion to a higher grade the £25 shall cease to operate as the plus rate, but shall be merged in assessing the incremental stage at which he shall commence in the higher grade, (ie, no officer shall receive a less salary on promotion than he previously received by the operation of the plus rate).

 

(iii) The existing plus rates to be personal to the present recipients, and are not to be applied to new entrants.

 

It was felt that this was a workable compromise and preferable to a wholesale up-grading. It meant that the existing plus rate system of £25 would gradually be terminated as officers were promoted. And the Committee always had the option to grant accelerated promotion in cases of merit.

 

This compromise scheme was considered by the Salaries, Wages and Labour Committee on April 22nd who agreed that it be adopted to transfer the Bank's staff to the National Scheme.

 

 

 

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