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UNISON’s NJC Committee met and agreed very clearly to REJECT the employers’ offer of 3.3% on behalf of members. The Committee was clear that the offer falls significantly short of what members in councils and schools need and deserve.
West Sussex branch has also discussed and formally voted to recommend Reject to our members, for the insulting and derisory offer.
The NJC Committee agreed that members must be asked whether they are willing to take industrial action to improve the offer. The ballot will commence on 9 July and end on 6 August.
The ballot will be both targeted and disaggregated.
1. Targeted
We will only ballot members in employers where we have a good chance of exceeding the 50% turnout thresholds, and where those employers are of a certain size. The West Sussex branch has 13 employers in the NJC ballot.
- West Sussex County Council
- The Kemnal Academies Trust
- Bosco Catholic Education Trust
- Schoolsworks Academy Trust
- REAch2 Academy Trust
- Hurst Education Trust
- Bohunt Education Trust
- The Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust
- Woodard Academies Trust
- Ormiston Academies Trust
- Bishop Luffa Learning Partnership
- The Bourne Community College
- Woodlands Meed
West Sussex County Council is our largest employer by far, and includes all our members working as support staff in maintained schools. 85% of our NJC members are covered by and will be included in the ballot. If you are not, there will be other ways we will include you in our pay campaign. Watch out for emails about this.
2. Disaggregated
This means that UNISON can take action wherever we exceed the current 50% turnout thresholds in individual employers. We are not reliant on getting over the 50% threshold across all the 360,000 NJC members we have across thousands of employers across the country.
Elect a workplace rep!
If you don’t have a rep in your workplace ahead of this crucial ballot, find out more here about how you can decide amongst your work colleagues who this should be and elect them to the role.
More info will be coming soon for the branch as we will be organising a series workplace visits. If you would like a visit and presentation on the ballot to your workplace, school or team, get in touch with us to organise this.
The claim (what we demanded from the employers)
As reported previously, UNISON submitted a pay claim for members on 1st December 2025 for the following, presuming a one-year pay deal:
- An increase of at least £3,000 or 10% (whichever is greater) across all NJC spinal column points
- A minimum pay rate of £15 an hour for the NJC pay spine
- A two hour reduction in the working week
- An increase of one day annual leave
- The ability of all school support staff to take a day of paid leave during term time
- The abolition of Level 1 Teaching Assistant role and instead all Level 1 role holders be moved onto Level 2
The offer (what the employers responded with)
A meeting was held on March 24, 2026 between the employers and unions, and in the afternoon a letter was received by the unions making an offer, as follows:
- 3.3% uplift across all NJC spinal column points and allowances.
The employers:
- REJECTED A minimum pay rate of £15 an hour for the NJC pay spine
- REJECTED A two hour reduction in the working week
- REJECTED An increase of one day annual leave
- REJECTED The ability of all school support staff to take a day of paid leave during term time
- REJECTED The abolition of Level 1 Teaching Assistant role and instead all Level 1 role holders be moved onto Level 2
For members on HAY, Agenda for Change and SMG4 grades
As reported previously, WSCC has agreed that the same arrangements as applied in 2025-26 for WSCC staff on local pay (mostly team managers on HAY pay scales) will also apply next year in 2026-27. So if there is a formal UNISON consultation on the offer, you will be included in it alongside NJC colleagues.