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Policy on Pay Protection

Where an employee is redeployed to a lower graded job, following restructuring or their post is otherwise being made redundant, or where the redeployment is on health grounds, the university may provide protection on the following basis:

  • Redeployment to a post which is one grade lower for a period of 12 months.
  • Protection will be based on basic pay plus any contractual allowances e.g. standby. No other allowances or payments will be protected.
  • Protection will be based on the sum of the employee's salary plus contractual allowances at the date immediately prior to their redeployment taking effect.
  • Any costs of living award made to the university during the period of protection will be applied.

After 12 months' protection has ended, the relevant salary for the new role will be applied. This will be at the top normal progression point for their lower grade (i.e. the point immediately below the first contribution point of the relevant grade).  The only exception will be where a post is externally funded and this funding limits the starting salary which can be offered. In this case, the salary point will be the maximum point which is affordable within the available funding.

In some cases, the protection described above will not be offered if the employee is redeployed to a lower graded role. Reasons for this may be:

  • Where the post is externally funded. External funding may limit the starting salary that can be offered.
  • If the employee has less than 2 years' service.

This arrangement is not contractual and the University reserves the right to amend this policy on pay protection following consultation with trade union representatives.

For the avoidance of doubt, pay protection will not apply in the following circumstances:

  • where an employee who was receiving day or night shift allowance in their previous role is redeployed to a position which does not qualify for these allowances: in this instance, the day/night shift allowance will not be protected.
  • where an employee is redeployed to a role working fewer hours per week: in this instance, the new level of pay will be based on their new contractual hours - earnings lost from reduction in working hours will not be protected.

Redeployment from Grade E (or above) to a Grade B-D role

If an employee is redeployed from a role graded at Grade E (or above) to a Grade B-D role and pay protection applies, during the 12 month period of pay protection, the following arrangements will apply:

  • If the employee works additional hours which qualify for overtime payments, payment will be based on their protected hourly rate;
  • The employee’s annual leave entitlement will remain at 41 days per annum (including Bank Holidays and Closure Days) until the commencement of the leave year following the expiry of their 12 month period of pay protection; 
  • The employee will remain a member of USS during the 12 month period of pay protection; at the end of this period they will cease to be eligible for membership of USS and will be automatically enrolled into ERSS.

Note: pay protection will normally only apply where an employee is redeployed to a post which is one grade lower.

Approved by HR Services, November 2014

(Subsequently amended from ERBS to ERSS)