Nikola Burdon is the professional development and ethics coordinator at the Museums Association
Yes: Draft salary guidelines, produced by the Museums Association (MA), were piloted last year and immediately there was a positive response from the sector. Individuals have used the guidelines to flag up the issue of pay with their employers. Museums have used them to set pay levels for new posts - several posts have been advertised as being 'equivalent to' a job profile within the guidelines.
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) has recommended that museums should use the guidelines to assist them in setting salaries and referring to them in the Designation Challenge Fund guidance.
Revised salary guidelines will be published next month and distributed with the June edition of Museums Journal. Then work will begin on building on momentum and getting more organisations to support, promote and follow the guidelines. The guidelines are realistic; some museums already advertise posts that fit within the job profiles, others have a way to go.
The important message is to strive for improved pay levels across the sector. The guidelines also flag up equivalent pay in related sectors such as teaching, lecturing and libraries, so it is easy to make comparisons with areas museums are competing with.
The issue of low pay will not be solved overnight. But the guidelines are a tool to put pay on the agenda, they are a valuable source of information on pay levels, and a catalyst to encourage pay that reflects the skills and dedication of the workforce.
Jo Hall is the assistant curator of Archaeology at Bristol's City Museum & Art Gallery and a member of the executive committee of the Museum Professionals Group (MPG)
No: The guidelines are a step in the right direction but they lack teeth. Sadly, I know of qualified museum professionals in my region on salaries of under £10,800 a year. Over the last three months the MPG's research has shown that more than half of advertised jobs fall below the draft guidelines.
Bruised reputations aside, there are few consequences for paying below the recommended levels, and little incentive to stick to them.
The success of the guidelines relies on the combination of a sympathetic decision maker, a fair and flexible job evaluation process, and an accommodating budget.
An additional barrier for some will be the structure of local authority pay where certain criteria are used to assess pay scales across the board. Guidelines must be given weight during the job evaluation process for them to make an impact.
We need clear advocacy from bodies such as the MA and the MLA so all decision-makers are strongly encouraged to use them. A good example should be set by applying the recommended pay levels to all Renaissance-funded posts.
The MA should have a set procedure for approaching those who do not adhere to the guidelines and should not let the posts be advertised in Museums Journal. Lastly, people need to bring these guidelines to their manager's attention and feed back to us and the MA what the barriers are that prevent us getting fair pay.
Yes: Draft salary guidelines, produced by the Museums Association (MA), were piloted last year and immediately there was a positive response from the sector. Individuals have used the guidelines to flag up the issue of pay with their employers. Museums have used them to set pay levels for new posts - several posts have been advertised as being 'equivalent to' a job profile within the guidelines.
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) has recommended that museums should use the guidelines to assist them in setting salaries and referring to them in the Designation Challenge Fund guidance.
Revised salary guidelines will be published next month and distributed with the June edition of Museums Journal. Then work will begin on building on momentum and getting more organisations to support, promote and follow the guidelines. The guidelines are realistic; some museums already advertise posts that fit within the job profiles, others have a way to go.
The important message is to strive for improved pay levels across the sector. The guidelines also flag up equivalent pay in related sectors such as teaching, lecturing and libraries, so it is easy to make comparisons with areas museums are competing with.
The issue of low pay will not be solved overnight. But the guidelines are a tool to put pay on the agenda, they are a valuable source of information on pay levels, and a catalyst to encourage pay that reflects the skills and dedication of the workforce.
Jo Hall is the assistant curator of Archaeology at Bristol's City Museum & Art Gallery and a member of the executive committee of the Museum Professionals Group (MPG)
No: The guidelines are a step in the right direction but they lack teeth. Sadly, I know of qualified museum professionals in my region on salaries of under £10,800 a year. Over the last three months the MPG's research has shown that more than half of advertised jobs fall below the draft guidelines.
Bruised reputations aside, there are few consequences for paying below the recommended levels, and little incentive to stick to them.
The success of the guidelines relies on the combination of a sympathetic decision maker, a fair and flexible job evaluation process, and an accommodating budget.
An additional barrier for some will be the structure of local authority pay where certain criteria are used to assess pay scales across the board. Guidelines must be given weight during the job evaluation process for them to make an impact.
We need clear advocacy from bodies such as the MA and the MLA so all decision-makers are strongly encouraged to use them. A good example should be set by applying the recommended pay levels to all Renaissance-funded posts.
The MA should have a set procedure for approaching those who do not adhere to the guidelines and should not let the posts be advertised in Museums Journal. Lastly, people need to bring these guidelines to their manager's attention and feed back to us and the MA what the barriers are that prevent us getting fair pay.
