Tynwald members have concluded that it would not be appropriate for them to get a pay cut.
It had been argued that a new terms for new government starters policy should apply to newly-elected MHKs too. This would have meant a £4,000 cut in their basic pay.
Tynwald’s emoluments committee had been due to seek an order from Treasury at last month’s Tynwald sitting to create a new formula for setting members’ pay. Committee chairman Steve Rodan said pay would continue to be based on the civil service scale - but pegged at a different point.
But the attempt by MHKs to exempt themselves from the new pay scales agreement was condemned by the unions.
Now the emoluments committee had taken legal advice and concluded that the new policy does not apply to them. In a report to next week’s Tynwald sitting, the committee says the current annual salary of £39,547 is appropriate and the new starters’ policy should not apply due to the ‘significant differences’ between Tynwald members and civil servants.
The report states: ‘We note it has been argued that Tynwald members should be treated the same as civil servants and consequently the basic pay for members entering Tynwald after April 1 2016 should be calculated according to the new payscales.
‘Our view is this is not appropriate given the significant differences between members of Tynwald and civil servants. Moreover, Tynwald members have not been consulted about any such change.’
The committee concludes the new terms for new starters policy is a Public Services Commission initiative and should not apply to Tynwald members.
As a matter of policy, it says, all Tynwald members should continue to be entitled to the same basic annual sum irrespective of the date of their election, that the level of salary should remain the same and in future should continue to be uplifted on the same basis as it has in the past.
It had been claimed that the new starters policy would have meant new MHKs would have been paid a lower rate than those who had been successfully re-elected. Other argued that anyone elected to the Keys at the general election was a ‘new starter’ and all should get the 10 per cent pay cut.
The legal advice from the Attorney General’s chambers concluded there was no unequivocal evidence of an intention for members to be treated for the purpose of their pay in exactly the same way as public service staff - and where there was doubt, the course which provides the least detriment should always be followed.
Listing the differences between the terms and conditions of Tynwald members and civil servants, the committee pointed out there is no incremental progression for MHKs and MLCs, higher pay is available for certain offices but backward moves are much more common and there is no pay protection. There are no set working hours for politicians and no entitlement to a set number of days of annual leave.
The emoluments committee, chaired by Speaker Steve Rodan, comprises fellow MHKs Chris Robertshaw, Howard Quayle and David Quirk, and MLCs David Anderson, David Cretney and Juan Turner.