Forum for former BBC staff

Forum for former BBC staff
http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl >> News and Comment >> "Disappointment" pay? http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1330208996 Message started by Administrator on Feb 25^th, 2012, 10:30pm

Title: "Disappointment" pay?
Post by Administrator on Feb 25^th, 2012, 10:30pm

Kelvin MacKenzie claims in the Mail that some BBC staff get paid extra for failing to get promoted:

This is an absolute belter — so make sure you have taken your blood pressure tablets before reading on . . .

My mole at the BBC tells me there is much irritability over an independent report, commissioned by the Corporation’s Director-General Mark Thompson some months ago, into the working methods and productivity of staff in local radio.

The report, by veteran commercial radio executive John Myers, is yet to be published but I’m told it reveals an extraordinary arrangement with regard to BBC staff wages.

Apparently, any employee at one of the 40 local radio stations (which employ a total of 3,000 people) who has gone five years without promotion will receive a cheque for £4,600 — which is described as ‘disappointment’ money.

Read more here

Title: Re: "Disappointment" pay?
Post by Peter_Neill on Feb 26^th, 2012, 10:54am

I await the full details of this story. I certainly have never heard of the practice but, given how little opportunity there is for promotion at local radio stations (due to the small number of staff) and the fact that local knowledge is highly prized, I could see possibly the merit in having an incentive to stop valued journalists seeking promotion elsewhere. I'm sure, though, that it's not as simple as Mr Mackenzie suggests.

Title: Re: "Disappointment" pay?
Post by Peter_Neill on Feb 28^th, 2012, 7:34am

Well here's the actual paragraph from the report:

Where there may be a valid argument that salary levels as such reflect the true skill and experience of some staff, it is the total cost of employment that is more worrying. In this regard, the cost of individual salaries can jump by as much as 25% and this covers pension rights, unpredictability allowances and for some, even a scheme called "growth in job‟ payments which can give a member of staff who hasn‟t been promoted an additional payment of £4,600 after six years‟ service.

Subtly different from Kelvin Mackenzie's take on the subject.

Title: Re: "Disappointment" pay?
Post by david en france on Feb 28^th, 2012, 4:40pm

There is something I find worrying about McKenzie's little diatribe....it is the figure of 3000 people employed at 40 local radio stations......if these figures were true (scepticism in large doses here) that would put the average staff number at 75. Really? I don't recall anything like that number in my time at Sheffield and Lincolnshire....and in any case I would doubt that the average salary per radio station is much more than £25k and probably a hell of a lot less! Auntie should be coming out fighting on this one. My special gripe is that in my experience far too many people were not being paid at all!

Title: Re: "Disappointment" pay?
Post by Peter_Neill on Feb 28^th, 2012, 4:55pm

The whole report is not overlong and is worth a read. It can be found here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/howwework/reports/myersreport.html

He's largely supportive of Local Radio and doesn't think that the proposed DFQ savings are feasible.

There's no mention of 3000 staff, the words "Disappointment Pay" or any suggestion that all staff are entitled to what sounds rather like what we used to call annual increments.

He does suggest a slimming down of management (when does that ever happen?) and points out what we all know - that centralisation of services often costs money and central overheads are disproportionately high.