Malaspina Board Ratifies Gender-Neutral Job Evaluation for Administrators

The Malaspina University-College Board has ratified implementation of the results of a gender-neutral job evaluation for administrators.

The review established the 'relative worth of positions,' as well as a revised salary grid for 62 regular administrative positions at Malaspina University-College. The process was mandated by the provincial Public Sector Employers' Council (PSEC) in January 1997.

All positions--support staff, faculty, and administrators--at Malaspina University-College now have a revised salary grid, as mandated by the Post-Secondary Employers' Association (PSEA) which was established in 1994 by the provincial government to coordinate labour relations and human resource practices among member employers in the college and institute system.

In 1994, members of Malaspina's support staff, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), started off the gender neutral job evaluation process. Last year, a form of pay equity was achieved under the Faculty Framework Agreement, which established a common salary grid for instructors in the B.C. college and institute system, as mandated by PSEA. At Malaspina, academic instructors are represented by the Malaspina College Faculty Association (MCFA); vocational faculty are represented by the British Columbia Government Employees Union (BCGEU).

The gender-neutral job evaluation process for administrators evaluated job content-rather than individual employees--and rated such items as education and experience; internal/external contacts and communication; problem solving; guidance in decision making; impact of decisions; supervision; effort; and work environment.

The last step in the process--streamlining of position titles--is expected to be completed later this year. The gender-neutral job evaluation process started in July, 1997.

PSEC also established compensation levels for presidents of B.C. colleges, university colleges and institutes, according to the size of institutions' operating budgets and student FTE enrolment numbers. The new salary grid for administrators is benchmarked to the salaries established for presidents, to provide equity internally.

Historically, Malaspina administrators' compensation has been set by the Malaspina Board, and has been tied to contract settlements for academic faculty. Effective April 1, 1999, general salary increases for administrators employed in colleges and institutes in B.C. will be awarded by their respective Boards, according to compensation guidelines set provincially by PSEC.

Salaries of all B.C. college presidents were frozen by the provincial government in February, 1993, and Malaspina's two vice-presidents took a voluntary salary freeze at that time. Last year, the two vice-presidents received their first increase (1%) in four years, in line with increases awarded by PSEA.

The Post-Secondary Employers' Association, before establishing a salary structure for presidents of B.C. colleges, commissioned Crossman Shepherd Associates to conduct research which included comparisons with colleges and institutes across Canada, as well as comparisons with other not-for-profit sectors including health, municipal, transportation, education (K - 12), crown corporations and social services across Canada. The research concluded that college presidents in B.C. were compensated well below their counterparts.

PSEA has recently approved Malaspina's administrative gender neutral job evaluation outcomes and salary grid which now comprises 14 pay categories, each with four incremental steps. The previous salary grid consisted of seven pay categories with four incremental steps.

The increased cost as a result of the new pay grid for administrators is $104,789.

The implementation of the gender neutral job evaluation for support staff, in 1994, cost $141,770, while the implementation of the common salary grid for faculty, in 1997, totalled $584,000.

Malaspina's total operating budget for 1998/99 is $56.7-million. For the 1997/98 fiscal year, the total cost of Malaspina's payroll (salaries and benefits) was $29,767,568, broken down as follows:

Administrators: $3,602,510--12.10%

Faculty: $20,868,697--70.11%
Academic Faculty (MCFA): $15,428,276--51.83%;
Vocational Faculty (BCGEU): $5,440,421--18.28%

Support Staff: $4,871,581--16.37%

Community Education instructors: $424,779--1.43%

Sidebar information:

PSEC - Public Sector Employers' Council
The Public Sector Employers' Council (PSEC) was established in 1994 by the B.C. government and sets guidelines for labour relations and human resource practices among public employers in British Columbia (i.e. hospitals, municipalities, post-secondary educational institutions, school districts, etc.). PSEC is an umbrella organization; each sector employer is represented by an association such as PSEA, BCSEA, etc.

PSEA - Post-Secondary Employers' Association
The Post-Secondary Employers' Association (PSEA) was established in 1994 to coordinate labour relations and human resource practices among member employers in the college and institute system.