If they publically stated the competitive salary, it would be competing. Can’t have that. /s It’s better when they write “salary according to union agreement”, but not much, because it means they’ll pay the absolute minimum of that agreement without room for negotiation. I think it’s better to have a negotiation, but they could still advertise the span which they had planned on budgeting with. “expected salary between x and y depending on qualifications” Unfortunately, when they do write an amount, it often attracts unqualified applicants who think they can fake it till they make it, which is a a waste of everyone’s time, especially if they do get the job.