G.S. 84
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XCR (79) 236
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The Report goes on to suggest that the effect of the se revised rules, if accepted, should be explained in more detail and illustratively by the Administration in an appropriate circular. Because of the variety of different changes which may be made to rank-scales, conversion rules inevitably become rather complicated, and it is agreed that examples of how the rules work are often easier to understand than the rules themselves.
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In essence, there are two main changes over the present rules. First, if the maximum of a rank-scale is raised by more than one point, staff already on the maximum for some years can currently get two or more increments added on to their pay as a result. Under the new rules, such staff would only receive one additional increment on conversion, and would then proceed up the scale one increment a year in the normal way. The present system causes considerable jealousy because of the large sums of money given to the staff involved and means that the staff concerned can still complain that they are on the maximum of the scale, and thus have no incentive.
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Secondly, if the minimum of the rank-scale is raised by say two points, at present all staff (apart from those already on or near the top point) would as a result receive two increments on conversion. This is un- necessarily generous. Nor is there much logic to the rule. If, for example, the minimum is raised because of recruitment difficulties, or because the qualification required for entry has been raised, why should serving officers benefit? Thus the new rule confines the benefit of an increased minimum to those who are currently receiving less than the new minimum. This will in the medium-term take much heat out of disputes about minimum pay since the majority of serving officers will in future not anyway be affected by such changes.
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The Report goes on to point out that these new rules apply to the normal situation where a civil servant's pay is still expressed in terms of the same overall scale. In other circumstances, special conversion rules are required. The main special cases in the Report are for the lower segment of Model Scale 1 and for the disciplined services, who are transferred from their individual rank and file scales to a single new Disciplined Services Rank and File Pay Scale.
Future Programme of Work
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Chapter 20 sets out some of the priority items which the Com- mission intends to consider in the coming months. Although reference is made in paragraph 20.5(d) to considering the extension of fringe benefits to married women officers as part of a review of conditions of service, it should be noted that as at 15th October the conditions of
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