"red Tape" Exposes Archaic Wages System

from @ special correspondent "RED Doe eee eee This nonth's Red Tape, the journal of the biggest civil servants' trade union, the Civil Service Clerical Association, has an almost unbelievable story of how wages are prid at an RA.Fe department in Gloucestere There is a pay parade which involves three pay witnesses and a variety of “equipment” ranging from tin cans to 2 tea trolley. The ironic thing is that the wages are celculeted by computer, The following procedure 15 _ followed: first the sums are put into tin cans, each marked with the serial number of the payee. The cans are then placed in five large wooden trays, one for each pay point. "A paying officer snd a colleague who is designated first witness are chosen for each pay point. With their trays of cash end accompanied by a uniformed constable they proceed to the appropriate office. At the office they are met by 2 uniformed messenger with a tea — trolleyeessThen the procession = the trolley, the paying officer and the first witness, carrying a large wastepaper basket = proceed down the corridors until they arrive at the office where the pay ceremony takes place. At this point another official, the second witness, appears on the scene, His job is to identify the individuals to be paid, "Then the performance begins, The staff who have been lined » up in numeric:l order .re called up to the paying table one by one, The first witness checks the pay roll and the paying officer hands over the tin can, The payee then walks forward a few paces where another official is involved. He is the third witness, His job is to see that the payee, who at this stage counts his money, does not drop any of it (or slip a fiver up his sleeve$) and complain about being short, After the money is checked the empty can is dropped into the wastepaper basket which is eventually full of empty cans and is picked up by the first witness to return to the — finence offices" ; pes The report did not sey whether the civil servants had to salute or not! During the annual meeting of the local C.S.C.A. branch a speaker said that his grendmother recalled having been paid by a similar method in 1901. The branch has passed a resolution which is "determined th>t immedi: te action will be taken to end this unpopular and preposterous type of pay parades"