On 6 June, UNISON, GMB and Unite lodged the NJC pay claim for:
- a substantial increase with a minimum of £2,000 or the current rate of RPI (whichever is greater) on all pay points
- COVID-19 recognition payment
- a national minimum agreement on homeworking policies for all councils and the introduction of a homeworking allowance
- an urgent review of all mileage rates currently applying
- a review and update of NJC terms for family leave and pay
- a review of term-time only contracts and consideration of retainers
- a reduction in the working week (without loss of pay) to 35 hours (34 in London)
- one additional day of annual leave.
On 25 July 2022 the National Employers agreed unanimously to make the following one-year (1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023), final offer to the unions representing the main local government NJC workforce:
- with effect from 1 April 2022, an increase of £1,925 on all NJC pay points 1 and above
- with effect from 1 April 2022, an increase of 4.04 per cent on all allowances (as listed in the 2021 NJC pay agreement circular dated 28 February 2022)
- with effect from 1 April 2023, an increase of one day to all employees’ annual leave entitlement
- with effect from 1 April 2023, the deletion of pay point 1 from the NJC pay spine.
This offer would achieve a bottom rate of pay of £10.50 with effect from 1 April 2022 (which equates to a pay increase of 10.50 per cent for employees on pay point 1); everyone on the NJC pay spine would receive a minimum 4.04 per cent pay increase; and
the deletion of pay point 1 on 1 April 2023, would increase the bottom rate to £10.60.
On 25 July, the three main unions (GMB, UNISON and Unite) reacted to final offer as follows:
- GMB are balloting their members on whether to accept or reject the pay offer, with a closing date of 15 October;
- UNISON have commenced consultations with their members from 19 August, with a closing date of 19 September;
- Unite are conducting a consultative ballot with their members from 22
August, with a closing date of 14 October.
We will provide further updates in due course, once the unions have consulted their members. We will not be able to process the pay award until full and final agreement has been reached.