(d) in the private sector promotions of stenographers
to secretarial status was much faster;
(e) the wastage rate of Shorthand/Audio Typists which in
1976 had been 82 out of a total strength of 427 was much higher than wastage rates in comparable grades and indicated poor pay in comparison with abilities and skills;
(f) the 1976 P.I.U. survey of the private sector had been
carried out at a time of recession and did not reflect the situation today when a higher median would probably result;
(g) the Organisation & Hethods survey of 1975/6 had
resulted in the loss to the Shorthand/Audio Typist grado of 117 posts and to the Personal_Secretary grade, to which Shorthand/Audio Typists had promotion prosepets, of 175 posts.
The Chairman said in reply,
(a) & (b) Government, on the recommendation of the 1971 Salaries
Commission had abolished Model Pay Scales and substituted Class Scales which allowed for much greater accuracy in applying to Government established rates and trends of pay in the private sector. The Commission had recommended pay scales which accorded with the then responsibilities of ranks, grades and Classes. There would therefore have seemed to be grounds at the time of the Comission's review for regarding the general level of responsibilities of Clerical Officers II as higher than those of Shorthand/ Audio Typists. This may not have always been the case. An examination of relativities of grades from 1946 to 1971 showed considerable shifts in responsibilities between ranks performing different kinds of duties; there was therefore little point_now in debating what had been the position in 1970, or 1960 or 1950 er even before that. What was relev nt now was that responsibilities assessed in 1971 had brought about the present pay scales and that the review of 1976 had indicated that at the maximum, which was regarded as 'pay for the job', the present scale was somewhat low. Government, after giving close consideration to such matters as entry qualifications (academic and technical) the nature of the different kinds of work done by stenographers in the private and public sectors, and the effects of the restructuring of the Secretarial Class on 8th December 1976, had rectified the position by increasing the maximum by 2 increments. They had also rade the rectification retrospective to 1st April 1976;
(c) Government_hnd introduced the concept of 'equal pay' in
May 1966. Grades which were then exclusively female wore regarded as already receiving pay for the job' unless there was contrary evidence. The Salaries Commission of