ISSUE 91 : Nov/Dec - 1991 - Australian Defence Force Journal

CHANGE IN WORK VALUE IN THE DEFENCE FORCES 9
conditions under which various employment classifications
operate. A particular employment classification
working in one part of Australia may have a
substantially different profile to some one from the
same employment classification in another geographic
area. These varying environmental (geographical)
conditions could skew data considerably
if the data collection sample was not wide enough to
capture every employment classification in every
geographical area.
The WVP was tasked to inquire into work value
changes in the ADF. The inquiry was to cover all
jobs in the ADF and the information collated in
industrially useful terms: i.e. presented in such a way
that military jobs are described in terms that are
applied to industries outside the ADF.
Preceding any study there needs to be some
underlying assumptions. One of the main issues
concerning the WVP is the assumption that salary
should be correctly set to reflect the value of the job
done. Accordingly, that salary should be increased
for any employment classification in the ADF where
significant changes in Work Value can be shown.
Essentially, the WVP can be seen as an industrial
relations exercise which would ascertain whether
current salary levels properly reflect the worth of
jobs being done.
The results gained from this inquiry would
represent the data which could be presented if
necessary to the Defence Force Remuneration
Tribunal (DFRT) in support of pay variations for
some employment classifications. For this to be
successful, it is necessary to take into account the
substantial re-orientation that is occurring in the
conduct of Australian Industrial Relations in
Australia. There is a much greater emphasis on
Industry and enterprise factors in the determination
of wages and conditions. As project consultant
Howard Guille states:
a. There is a shift to "productivist" strategies such
as those under the two tier system, where pay
increases are predicated more upon future
efficiencies than upon trade-offs. In short the
rate of "flow on" of improvements in pay and
conditions will be reduced.
b. Economy-Wide and sectorial pay determination
is giving way to industry and enterprise level
agreements. The major effect of this will be the
reduced influence of inter sectorial and crossindustry
comparisons in wage determinations.
c. Skill development and training are becoming
important elements in wage determination.
These are accompanied by extension of payscales,
emphasis on career scales and the removal
of barriers to progression along scales,
d. A simplification of pay scales is occurring, in
part to complement multi-skilling. The result is
reduction in the number of classifications covered
by an award. One effect will be that some long
established comparisons between and within
awards will no longer be available as ground for
establishing an 'arguable' case.'
These changes in the direction of Australian
Industrial Relations are relevant to the formulation
of any major pay case for the ADF. The arguments
put forward to industrial tribunals will need to be
industry specific and be supported by evidence
drawn from within the industry in preference to
drawing comparisons from outside industry.
Keeping the changes in industrial relations in the
forefront without directly comparing the ADF to
industry became the focus for the development of
the job evaluation methodology and the questions
pertaining to the jobs in the ADF were designed to
emphasise the uniqueness of the ADF. This was
done in all survey instruments.
The Survey Instruments
There are four surveys in various phases of
completion underway within the WVP. The largest
of these, the Other Ranks Work Analysis had a
selected population of 12,000. The second largest
survey covers all officers in the ADF of the rank of
PILOT OFFR to M AJ (E) and has a population of
8,500.
The Senior Officer Job Evaluation Questionnaire
covered all ADF officers from the rank of LTCOL
(E) to MAJGEN (E). This represents some 1,623
personnel. The fourth survey, The Medical and
Dental Officers Job Evaluation (two separate
questionnaires) captured data on all the jobs of
Medical and Dental Officers in the ADF.
The Other Ranks Work Analysis, the largest of
the surveys was a questionnaire designed for analysis
by computer. The sample selected for this survey
represented ten per cent of each employment classification,
or in cases of small employment classifications,
20 personnel. Overall this represents 17 per
cent of the ADF. The population sample covers 330
different .mployment classifications across the three
services. Most of the respondents were of Warrant
Officer Class One and Class Two (E). Indeed all
personnel in the warrant ranks were included in the
survey.