511 - THE TWICE-MONTHLY BULLETIN FOR PAY AND BENEFITS SPECIALISTS - Back to normal? Pay deals returned to the 3% mark in November 2000. With the New, Year wage round underway, the latest IRS figures suggest that the prolonged period of settlement stability? is set to continue. Given the pivotal role that inflation plays in the paysetting process, negotiators due to settle in the first few months of this year will be looking closely to see whether the recent upturn in the November 2000 retail prices index pushes pay awards above the current 3% benchmark.