One of our managers wants to consolidate the payments we make for first aiders into basic salary. I am not sure this is such a good idea. He wants to incorporate the payment to uplift the hourly rate and enhance the overtime payments to reward when the company needs first aid cover outside of normal working hours. I am worried about consolidating ‘add-on’ payments which may be difficult to remove. We could write a specific clause in a contract, which gives the right to remove some of the consolidated payment in the event of for example they no longer provide first aid cover. Does anyone know what the pitfalls might be of having such a contractual clause?

Linda Hunt