London Underground and promotion criteria

[TUC]

In the current Rail magazine's report on the Night Tube dispute, it makes reference to TSSA claiming that accepting TfL's proposals would mean staff accepting changes to the 'LU promotion process'.

Rather than another thread on the dispute itself, it's that reference to a 'promotion process' and what that currently means that intrigues me. The advice we usually get from HR at work is that the only legally acceptable approach to promotion in terms of equality requirements is for appointment on merit against whether a candidate best meets the competencies/experience set out in a person specification. However, the reference to a 'LU promotion process' implies that there is a specific process in LU. Can anyone please clarify what that is?

 

[Clip]

It may be related to the Train ops being recruited internally? Is that still a thing though?

 

[CatfordCat]

Many London bus operators have a pay structure where - while remaining a bus driver - there are a few pay bands and you move up a pay band each year.

(you usually skip a band or two if you join as a PCV licence holder, and there's usually a clause that you can be held back a year in certain disciplinary circumstances - this has to be through a formal process, not just because manager decides s/he doesn't like driver Smith)

Likewise, in some jobs (it's mainly now a public sector thing, unlike private sector where pay rises often do have more to do with whether manager likes you / what they think they can get away with) the pay grade for job X is a range of pay bands, and you (usually) go up a band each year.

Pure speculation on my part, but wonder if it's something similar?

 

[TUC]

Many London bus operators have a pay structure where - while remaining a bus driver - there are a few pay bands and you move up a pay band each year.

(you usually skip a band or two if you join as a PCV licence holder, and there's usually a clause that you can be held back a year in certain disciplinary circumstances - this has to be through a formal process, not just because manager decides s/he doesn't like driver Smith)

Likewise, in some jobs (it's mainly now a public sector thing, unlike private sector where pay rises often do have more to do with whether manager likes you / what they think they can get away with) the pay grade for job X is a range of pay bands, and you (usually) go up a band each year.

Pure speculation on my part, but wonder if it's something similar?

Perhaps-and where I work has something similar-but that is different to promotion. It's usually called pay progression.