DRAFT MINUTE
Enclosure B
The present situation derives,
firstly from a workloading study by an Organisation and Methods team in late 1975 which brought to light considerable over-staffing in the Secretarial Class, mainly in the higher ranks,
secondly from a detailed study of all secretarial grades during the first half of 1976 by a committee of 13 which included 3 members of the Class, and, thirdly from consultations which began in August 1976 with Units of the staff association representing Typists, Shorthand Audio Typists, Personal Secretaries and Confidential Assistants about Government's restructuring proposals which had been based upon the O & M and Secretarial Class Committee reports.
2.
The
Finance Branch had in 1975 asked Civil Service Branch to commission O & M Division to do a workloading study of secretarial and typing work. Although there have been frequent changes in titles, the grade structures of secretarial grades had changed little since the immediate post war period and anomalies and inequalities have crept in. study disclosed a surplus of almost 300 posts. However, paradoxically it was the subsequent initiative of Civil Service Branch in producing a new, more effective structure for the Secretarial Class, benefitting more than 90% of the Class whilst not being detrimental to the interests of the remainder, which has drawn suspicion and triggered dissatisfaction within staff association Units.
3.
Opposition to Government's restructuring has its roots in emotive issues which go back to the Salaries Commissions of 1965 and 1971. Notwithstanding the many and obvious benefits of the package to the majority of officers, the Unit Committees have been able to consolidate opposition and maintain solidarity and militancy by harking back to grievances on equal pay in 1969, which excluded secretarial grades, and pensionability for married women in 1972, which resulted in the abolition of fully paid maternity leave and the substitution of half paid maternity leave for those grades excluded from equal pay who until 1972 had had reserved rights.
4.