SAFA Membership Update: October 3rd
What is Acting Incumbency?
There are times when it makes sense for a Dean or Director to ask a SAFA member to temporarily move into the role of acting Chair or Manager. After all, the member is familiar with that particular school or department, the students and their colleagues, and the search for a permanent leader takes time.
While this can be a good opportunity for the both the school/department and the member, anyone asked to step into an acting incumbency role should understand these basics: your new pay scale, how you fit into the collective agreement as an incumbent, and the limitations an incumbent has a designated Chair or Manager.
New Pay Scale
Section 44 of the Collective Agreement states that “To receive acting incumbency pay, an academic staff member shall be designated by the Employer to perform the principal duties of the higher-level position for a minimum period of five (5) consecutive workdays.”
Acting incumbency pay is a 5% increase to your regular salary. Should your incumbency go beyond 5 days, you will continue to be paid the 5% increase going forward and for those first 5 days.
Rights and Limits as an Acting Manager
While you are technically “acting management” during an incumbency, your rights under the collective agreement remain. As such, any entitlement you have under the CA, such as vacation days, cannot be reduced or altered to meet the standard entitlements provided to Chairs – whether it is greater or diminished. This has been addressed a few times of late.
Also, while you are technically “acting management”, there should be no expectation from your Dean that you participate in any form of discipline towards another SAFA member. You are still a SAFA member, and one member cannot levy discipline upon another, regardless of any acting role.
If you accept an acting incumbency, be sure to know what to expect of your pay and benefits, and ensure that you discuss your role and boundaries with the Dean or Director ahead of time. Contact SAFA if you have any questions about this role.
Craig Coolahan
Labour Relations Officer – SAFA
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Annual Advancement on the Salary Grid
On October 1st of each year, a SAFA member will advance one increment on the salary grid (Section 50), as long as they meet the following requirements:
- They currently hold a Permanent Salaried, Temporary Salaried, or Casual employment position.
- They were first hired before July 1st, 2023 into a qualifying position (Casual, Temp Salaried, or Permanent Salaried contract) and have had continuous qualifying positions since that time. Members hired into their first qualifying position on or after July 1st, 2023, will receive their first grid step increase on October 1st, 2024.
- They have not already reached the maximum increment on the salary grid.
Note that as of the latest Collective Agreement, this increase is no longer tied to your performance review. If you are unsure of your current assignment on the grid, review your MySAIT> MyEmployee > Jobs Summary > Job details page for that information. Have questions about your rate of pay or how to read your MySAIT pay information? Contact Employee Services at [email protected].