Good news then less good

My salary has stayed the same, and I am at the bottom of an increment scale so I have somewhere to go and will get more money every year for the next few years.  I was quite relieved when I opened the envelope and found out.

However as news trickled in over the course of the day I felt less happy.  I am the only professional librarian who has stayed on the same salary.  All the others have gone up one, two or even three scales - ie jumps of £2, 4, 6 thousand a year.  While I am still relieved at not having gone down, I am feeling upset about the results.

I feel belittled.    I feel that what I do has not been seen as having value, and that my role is much less significant than that of the other professional staff.  I am trying not to take this personally because the job evaluation people have not talked to me, just looked at the job, but it is easier said than done.  It is especially galling that someone who was on the same salary as me before has gone up two scales (ie £4k) and he is really not very good at his job.  I feel that I work beyond my job description while he works below his, and I do find it hard not to take it personally.

It could be much worse.  The scale 1 staff - who we all expected to do well out of this, everyone thought they would go up - have gone down, so they have gone from being badly paid for what they do to being really badly paid.  That is disgraceful.  I am sure we will appeal that, and I hope we will succeed.  It is going to make life in the branches difficult for a while.