Request
Your request was about the following information:
Under the FOI Act, I would like to request the two most recent pay settlements accepted by employees of your department. Please provide all pay grades and their respective salary bands, for 23/24 and 24/25.
Response
Pay Award 2023 – 2025 Scottish Government Main
Through a series of positive and constructive meetings with Trade Unions, a two year pay award covering period 01 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 and 01 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. A key feature of this pay award is a focus on higher basic pay increases in 2023 to 2024.
This pay award applied to staff in the Scottish Government Main (SG Main) Bargaining Unit and where staff are subject to SG Main terms and conditions. Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is part of the main bargaining unit and staff are subject to SG Main Terms and conditions.
Key Features of the Scottish Government Main Pay Award 2023 to 2025
2023 to 2024
With effect from 1 April 2023:
• all pay steps in pay ranges A3 to C3 will increase by 5%
• staff in Bands A, B, and C who are below their maximum will progress where eligible, by one pay step, towards the pay range maximum
With effect from 1 January 2024:
• all pay steps in pay ranges A3 to C1 will increase by a further 2% (based on 31 March 2023 salary values) so in total a 7% increase is applied to these pay steps as a result of the 2023 to 2024 pay settlement
• all pay steps in pay ranges C2 and C3 will increase by a further 0.5% (based on 31 March 2023 salary values) so in total a 5.5% increase is applied to these pay steps as a result of the 2023 to 2024 pay settlement
2024 to 2025
With effect from 1 April 2024:
• pay steps in pay ranges A3 and A4 will increase by £1,500 which delivers increases of between 5% and 6.3% to those pay steps
• pay steps in pay ranges B1 to C3 will increase by 2%
• the B1 range shortens with the removal of the Max-3 pay step
• staff in Bands A, B, and C who are below their maximum will progress where eligible, by one pay step, towards the pay range maximum
• a number of fixed rate pay allowances will increase by 3%
With effect from 1 January 2025:
• all pay steps in pay ranges B1 to C3 will increase by a further 1% (based on 31 March 2024 salary values) so in total a 3% increase is applied to these pay steps as a result of the 2024 to 2025 pay settlement
Shorter working week
In addition to the multi-year pay award, with effect from 1 October 2024, contractual full time equivalent working hours will reduce from 37 hours to 35 hours without a reduction in pay. This will notionally increase the value of SG Main pay ranges by an additional 5.7%. Further information and guidance on this move will be issued in due course. Once the contractual shorter working week is implemented, the wellbeing hour pilot will come to an end.
Effective dates
In 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025 there are two effective dates: 1 April (2023, 2024) and 1 January (2024, 2025). All increases to pay you are due as a result of each pay award will be backdated to that date, unless otherwise specified.
Examples:
• the first increase of 5% in 2023 to 2024 has an effective date of 1 April 2023 and all increases to pay to be made as a result of this first increase will be backdated to that date unless otherwise specified
• the second increases to apply in 2023 to 2024 will be effective from 1 January 2024 and will not be backdated
• for 2024 to 2025, the £1,500 increase for A3 and A4 and the 2% increase for B1 to C3 will be effective from 1 April 2024 and will be paid in April 2024 (and so there is no need to backdate)
• the further increase of 1% for B1 to C3 staff will be effective from 1 January 2025 and will not be backdated to before January 2025
No compulsory redundancy
The guarantee of no compulsory redundancies is extended until 31 March 2025.
Coverage and eligibility
This award applies to staff in the Scottish Government Main Bargaining Unit and legal trainees who are employed directly by the Scottish Government. The pay award will apply if you are subject to SG Main terms and conditions.
You will be eligible for pay progression by one step in 2023 to 2024, and one step in 2024 to 2025, if you:
• are subject to SG Main terms and conditions
• are employed by the Scottish Government on 1 April 2023 for the 2023 to 2024 pay award and 1 April 2024 for the 2024 to 2025 pay award
• have had your performance assessed as ‘partially effective’, or above during the relevant appraisal year
• are not already at the pay range max for your grade
Progression
2023 to 2024
Staff in Bands A, B and C who were below the maximum of their pay range and were in post at 1 December 2022, and remained in that pay range to 1 April 2023, will progress towards their pay range maximum, by one pay step, with effect from 1 April 2023. This is subject to achieving the required standard of performance in the appraisal year.
Staff promoted or recruited on or later than 2 December 2022 are not eligible for pay progression in 2023 to 2024 (which is consistent with the pay progression eligibility arrangements that apply each year). However they will receive a consolidated pay increase to the revised value of their current pay step with effect from 1 April 2023 and 1 January 2024.
2024 to 2025
Staff in Bands A, B and C who are below the maximum of their pay range and were in post at 1 December 2023, and remained in that pay range to 1 April 2024, will progress towards their pay range maximum, by one pay step. This will be in effect from 1 April 2024, subject to achieving the required standard of performance in the appraisal year.
Staff promoted or recruited on 2 December 2023 or later are not eligible for pay progression in 2024 to 2025 (which is consistent with the pay progression eligibility arrangements that apply each year). However, they will receive a consolidated pay increase to the revised value of their pay step with effect from 1 April 2024 and 1 January 2025.
A structural change will be made to the B1 pay range with effect from 1 April 2024. This will see the removal of the current minimum pay step (Max-3). All staff on this pay step as at 31 March 2024 will move to Max-2 with effect from 1 April 2024.
Scottish Government Main Pay Ranges 2023 to 2025
The attached document contains all pay grades and their respective salary bands, for 23/24 and 24/25.
