TNAG-0130-FCO40-166-Staff-Associations-and-Trade-Unions-1969 — Page 5

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main reason for the deferment of these grades was that the entire salary structure of teachers, both male and female, was and still is under review, and a similar review of the salary structure of nurses and the related grades was in mind.

5.

The scheme was discussed with the three main Staff Associations in the Senior Civil Service Council and was eventually accepted in October 1969 as a result of the following assurances being given to the Associations:-

6.

(1) that any future decisions concerning equal pay for

women in the deferred grades who qualified for equal pay would be implemented retrospectively from the 1st April 1969;

(ii)

that whatever new equal pay scales might be introduced for the deferred grades no serving male officers would suffer any reduction in their existing salary scales; and

(iii) that serving women officers on existing female salary

scales which eventually meet those of their male counterparts under the old gradual parity scheme (introduced prior to 1966) would be permitted to continue to proceed along their existing female salary scales.

However, it was not possible to accede to two other requests made by the Staff Associations that serving male and female officers in the deferred grades would retain a right to their existing salary scales on promotion to a higher grade; and that serving female officers in any particular grade would be given the option to move up to the existing male salary scale if a new equal pay scale salary scale was introduced for that grade which was at a lower level than the existing male salary scale.

7.

In this latter respect it had been made clear in the 1966 Circular which announced acceptance of the principle of equal pay for women that the salary scales attached to female grades would not necessarily go up to the male level in all cases and that in certain circumstances, there might be a case for the male scale coming down to the female level. I emphasised this point in a speech in the Legislative Council in February this year when I said that, "Equal pay means equal pay and not necessarily that grades must be equated at the male level, but of course, no serving officer will suffer a reduction in salary as a result of grades being equated. His personal position will be protected".

8.

Following acceptance of the scheme by the Staff Associations it was promulgated by Establishment Circular No. 135/69 dated 6th October 1969, a copy of which is attached for

your information. Women officers serving in the grades included in the scheme received their initial payments under the first stage of the scheme at the end of November, together with the arrears due from the 1st April 1969.

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