NJC Pay 2022 – Union Newswire

Local government trade unions today accepted a pay offer that will see hundreds of thousands of workers, over 350,000 of whom are UNISON members, paid an extra £1,925 this year, equating to a 10.5% increase for the lowest-paid workers.

UNISON, GMB and Unite make up the trade union side of the national joint council (NJC) that negotiates pay for the majority of local government workers. After consulting their members over the last two months, the unions met today and agreed to accept the offer from the employer, the Local Government Association (LGA).

The award is the highest offered to NJC workers in over a decade with local government workers bearing years of below inflation pay offers and pay freezes which have seen them lose over 25% from the value of their pay since 2010.

It will be backdated to 1 April 2022 and averages out to around 7% across the pay spine with the flat rate seeing those at the bottom of the spine (the lowest paid) receive a 10.5% increase with those at the top, just over 4%.

It also includes a 4% increase to allowances, backdated to 1 April 2022, with a one day increase to the annual leave of all employees coming into effect on 1 April 2023 and the removal of the bottom pay-point on the same date.

While this offer almost meets the government’s target of the minimum wage hitting two-thirds of median earning by 2024 (estimated to be around £10.70), it means the bottom three points on the pay scale will still fall below the Foundation Living Wage rate of £10.90.

Speaking of the pay deal, UNISON national secretary for local government Mike Short said: “UNISON members voted clearly to accept this pay offer, and it will come as a welcome relief to many of our members – particularly those who are lower-paid – that it has been agreed before the holiday period.

“Our immediate priority, now, is to get the money into the pay packets of workers as soon as possible, to help deal with the rapidly rising cost of living and move into the next pay round.

“We know there is much more to do, as this pay settlement is still below inflation and we will be looking to submit a pay claim for 2023 as soon as practically possible, so the employers have no excuse for delaying making an offer, next year.

“We will be expecting that offer to meet our members’ needs and address the massive pressure they are facing due to the rate of inflation.”

The article Council workers accept deal that will give lowest-paid 10.5% first appeared on the UNISON National site.

The three unions representing council and school staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have today (Monday) reacted to the £1,925 flat rate pay offer from the local government employers:

UNISON head of education and local government Mike Short said: “Council and school workers are enduring a major cost of living crisis, with inflation running at over 11%. This offer is better than employees might have expected, given the low pay rises of recent years.

“It shows local government employers are beginning to understand the financial nightmare school and council staff are living through. But it’s not enough to make up for a decade and more of lost wages.”

GMB national secretary Rehana Azam said: “Local government and schools workers kept our vital institutions running during the pandemic. Now, like everyone else, they’re being pushed to the brink by the cost-of-living crisis.

“Whilst real terms pay cuts risk exacerbating the staffing crisis, we recognise this is an offer that warrants further scrutiny so we can assess its impact on our members. GMB will now meet with reps and members to discuss the next steps.”

Unite acting national officer Clare Keogh said: “Council workers have already suffered over a decade of below-inflation wage rises and this is another pay cut dressed up as a pay increase.

“The cost-of-living crisis is hitting council workers hard, many already can’t afford to make ends meet, spiralling food costs and energy bills will more than swallow the pay offer being proposed.”

Back in June, UNISON, GMB and Unite submitted a joint claim calling for a pay boost of at least £2,000 for all council and school staff. Unions will now consult with their members over the offer.

Notes to editors:
– The unions’ 2022 claim, which applies from 1 April 2022, would see council and school employees receive either a £2,000 rise or the current rate of RPI (presently 11.8%), whichever is higher. The three unions say ?staff working in local government have seen an average of 27.5% wiped from the value of their pay since 2010.
-The one-year offer from the Local Government Association would see wage increases of between 4% for senior council and school staff, and 10.5% for those on the lowest grades.

The article Unions react to pay offer for council and school staff first appeared on the UNISON National site.