Local Government pay offer ‘woeful’ says UNISON

The Local Government Association Employers side has now made the following final pay offer:

  • £580 on pay point 5
  • £550 on pay point 6
  • £400 on pay point 7
  • £275 on pay point 8
  • £200 on pay point 9
  • £175 on pay point 10
  • 1.0% on pay points 11 and above

The vast majority of local government employees are being offered 1% for the second year running, following a period of consecutive pay freezes.

Staff on spinal points 5-10 are being offered lump sums worth slightly more than 1% because with increases in the National Minimum Wage, without an offer worth more than 1% those staff would slip ever-nearer to minimum wage levels.

In response, the UNISON NJC Committee – the elected lay body charged with overseeing negotiations – has agreed to hold with members a formal consultation on the Employers’ final NJC pay offer for 2014/15.

The UNISON NJC Committee is clear the Employers’ below-inflation final pay offer falls woefully below the aspirations in our 2014-15 pay claim and what our members deserve. It does nothing to begin restoring the 20% real loss in NJC pay value since 2010 and the effect falling pay has on members’ future pensions. It means yet another year with a further pay cut for the vast majority of our members. It leaves half a million NJC members below the Living Wage and the lowest paid 50,000 just 30p above the National Minimum Wage.

The UNISON NJC Committee strongly recommends this meagre final offer is REJECTED.

The UNISON West Sussex branch will commence a formal consultative ballot with affected members by email on Wednesday 2nd April.

Branch members who are within the NJC pay bargaining group will receive an email on that date and are strongly encouraged to participate in the consultative ballot in order to inform the union’s strategy going forward.