Year 2 of the 2018-20 pay deal: 2019/20
This is relevant for all members on NJC pay (schools and non-schools)
It was not correct to say in the WSCC corporate ‘One Voice’ newsletter (31st January 2019) that 2018-19 was a ‘straight forward uplift of 2% on spinal column points’. In fact, the pay award in 2018-19 was worth much more: from 9.2% at the bottom of Grade 1 to 3.7% at the top of Grade 5. From grades 6 to 12a, the 2018-19 pay award was 2%.
The Year 2 (2019-20) part of the pay deal ranges, depending on which particular spinal point you’re on, from being worth 7.1% to 2.3% from Grade 1 to the middle of Grade 8. After the middle of Grade 8 to 12a the pay award is worth 2%.
The pay award for 2019-20 was complex and required changes to be made to the WSCC pay scale. The WSCC corporate ‘One Voice’ newsletter (31st January 2019) omitted to mention UNISON’s constructive input to this process, which saw the branch’s positive recommendations being taken on board by the council.
One of these related to the new overlap at Grades 2 and 3, which will see Grade 2 staff paid significantly more. WSCC will publish the new pay scale later this month.
We have unfortunately not come to agreement with WSCC on an overlap to Grades 12 and 12A, which UNISON has argued has not been used in practice for some years at WSCC. The council is taking the opportunity of the 2019-20 pay deal to reintroduce this 12/12a overlap in practice – which would see new staff appointed at Grade 12a having to work through the Grade 12 pay scale for 4 years before entering the 12a pay scale. UNISON’s national officers believe this poses a risk of equal pay claims, and have asked WSCC to remove the overlap. WSCC has declined to do this. UNISON has therefore asked WSCC to provide data on staff at these grades and we are currently awaiting that.
Other employers
The West Sussex branch has written to stand-alone academies and West Sussex academy chains to ask them to implement the award in the same way that the council is within its maintained schools and for its non-schools staff.
We have also made contact with Capita for the same for their West Sussex TUPE’d staff.