Bye-bye to frameworks (almost)…

Over the last three years we have been negotiating with the business for changes to the Development Frameworks in Retail and Commercial. Whilst in principle they were a good idea, like the similar systems that went before (remember Skills Ladders?) they have become stuck in a bureaucratic AXA quagmire and everyone pretty much agreed they were no longer fit to purpose.

Backdated to the 1st October, the development and remuneration awards for Associates and Senior Associates who were on the Development Frameworks has now been replaced with a much simpler and straight forward system (the number one rule Unite in AXA insisted on with the company – keep it simple!)

This has seen a large number of staff received (backdated) pay awards and has helped in part relieve the issue around pay compression at the bottom of Associate and Senior Associate pay scales caused by increases in the Real Living Wage out stripping pay awards.

This is however not the end of the story. We need to ensure that future increases to the Real Living Wage don’t catch-up or outsrip the new process and also have to deal with the issue of Professionals who are still on their own Development Frameworks, so we continue to be engaged with the business on these topics.