As we reported recently, the offer from the employers has come in at a flat rate £1,290 (pro rata’d). There is much more detail here about what this offer – if accepted – would be worth to you at your grade and spinal point. The offer was not negotiated with the three trade unions, despite our request for a proper negotiation this year.
UNISON’s NJC Committee has now met and decided:
- To recommend to members that you REJECT the offer.
- To run a digital pay consultation with members to see if you agree, or would rather accept the offer.
The West Sussex branch committee has also met and agreed:
- To recommend to West Sussex members to REJECT the offer, in line with the national recommendation.
- To hold two online meetings, led by the branch secretary, for West Sussex members to attend where the offer will be explained and discussed. More details of these meetings are below.
The consultation process
A pay consultation is not a formal industrial action ballot. The results of the pay consultation will inform the union as to whether it should proceed to put in place a formal industrial action ballot. You should still vote though according to whether you wish to Reject or Accept the offer. If you do vote to Reject, you should do so in the knowledge that you are prepared to take industrial action to secure a better pay offer than the one we have.
Members will be sent an email with a unique, secure voting link. The email will be sent to whichever email address is held on your UNISON membership record.
When does the pay consultation start?
The pay consultation for members covered by NJC pay starts from Wednesday 5 June and closes on Friday 28 June at midday. The first emails will be sent out on 5 June and members should receive their email ballot by the end of Friday 7 June.
How to vote
Each member will be asked to click on the link in the email ballot and this will take them directly to the voting page where members can vote to ‘accept’ or ‘reject’ the pay offer. Each member can only vote once – votes are secure and anonymous. Please do not forward your email with your personalised voting links – as it is specifically for you. If you know of other members who have not received an email with their personal voting link then please ask them to follow the instructions below.
What if a member hasn’t received an email with a voting link?
Emails with voting links will be sent out from Wednesday 5 June and all members will have received their email by the end of Friday 7 June. If a member hasn’t received their email by the morning of Monday 10 June then they can vote by visiting this webpage: unison.org.uk/njc2024
On this webpage members need to click on the ‘Vote here’ button and this will take them to the same NJC voting pages. Because members will be following a general voting link they will then need to verify their membership details to access their personalised vote online. To do this they will need their UNISON membership number or their National Insurance number as well as their date of birth and surname as recorded on the UNISON membership system.
Note: Members should only use this method of voting if they haven’t received their voting link in an email by 10 June.
What if members can’t vote?
If members are having problems voting then they are advised to call the UNISON Direct number: 0800 0 857 857. UNISON Direct colleagues will be able to help members check their membership details and access their vote. Members should wait until at least Monday 10 June before trying to vote online and calling UNISON Direct as not all voting emails will be received until Friday 7 June.
Why are some members not getting sent their own email?
If members do not have a current email address on their UNISON membership record then they won’t receive an email with their voting link. However, they can still vote by visiting the website unison.org.uk/njc2024
Will new UNISON members be able to vote?
All UNISON members who join by 13 June 2024 will be able to vote in this digital pay consultation. They will be sent an email with their voting link in the week starting 24 June 2024.
Send colleagues who want to join UNISON this link: https://unisonwestsussex.org.uk/join/
When does the digital consultation close?
The digital pay consultation closes on Friday 28 June at midday. All members covered by NJC pay in schools, councils and relevant associated employers should vote by this date and time.
Will members be sent a reminder if they haven’t voted?
Members will be sent up to three emails during this digital pay consultation. The first one will be sent out between 5-7 June; the second one will be sent by Friday 14 June; the final email will be sent to arrive by Wednesday 26 June. New members will be sent an email by 26 June. We will also send a text message to members with a reminder to vote before the consultation closes. Members who have already voted won’t receive further reminders.
How can I find out more?
The West Sussex branch is holding two online meetings for West Sussex members. These will be led by the branch secretary and will go through the pay offer and answer members questions. Please put these dates in your diary now.
Tuesday 11th June, 1.00-2.00pm
Join using this Microsoft Teams link
Tuesday 11th June, 4.00-5.00pm
Join using this Microsoft Teams link