NSPS Employees To Get 2.26 Percent Raises

The remaining 54,000 employees covered by the soon-to-be-dismantled National Security Personnel System will receive 2.26 percent pay raises this year, Federal Times reports.

The money for the raises will come from funds that would have been used for within-grade increases, quality step increases and promotions under the traditional General Schedule pay system. Historically, NSPS has pooled such funds, along with whatever money is provided for a governmentwide pay increase, to provide pay for performance for those covered by the system. But with the federal pay freeze recently enacted by Congress, there is no governmentwide increase.

Nevertheless, some General Schedule employees will get increases this year, too. Last week, OPM's John Berry noted in a memo to agency heads that the freeze doesn't apply to performance awards and bonuses; recruitment, relocation and retention incentives; premium payments, such as overtime pay; promotions; within-grade increases; and quality step increases for outstanding performance.

Of the 226,000 employees once included in NSPS, 171,985 had been shifted back into the GS system as of Sept. 30, 2010. All NSPS employees must be out of the system by the end of the year.

Correction: The original version of this item said the raises would be 2.6 percent.