www.wolverhampton-unison.org

Monday 18 January 2016



Local Government branches in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are asked to consult members on a final two-year pay offer received from the
Local Government Association.

The UNISON NJC Committee’s view is that the offer falls far short of what our members deserve and employers can afford. The Committee is recommending REJECTION of the offer.

Details of the consultation and timetable are set out below.

The deadline for returning results to your Region is
5.00 pm on Thursday 18 February 2016.



In June 2015, the NJC Trade Union Side submitted the following one-year pay claim for 2016/17:

·         Deletion of NJC and all local pay points which fall below the level of the UK Living Wage (and deletion of GLPC pay points below London Living Wage) and a flat rate increase of £1 per hour on all other pay points;

·         Retention and protection of NJC Green Book, Part 2 terms and conditions

·         Fair treatment for school support staff through a joint review of term time working.

At the meeting of the NJC Executive held on 9 December 2015, the Local Government Association (LGA) made the following two-year final offer in response to our claim:



From 1 April 2016:

·         On SCP 6, £900 (equivalent to 6.6%)
·         On SCP 7, £900 (equivalent to 6.6%)
·         On SCP 8, £900 (equivalent to 6.5%)
·         On SCP 9, £900 (equivalent to 6.4%)
·         On SCP 10, £900 (equivalent to 6.3%)
·         On SCP 11, £300 (equivalent to 2.0%)
·         On SCP 12, £300 (equivalent to 2.0%)
·         On SCP 13, £250 (equivalent to 1.6%)
·         On SCP 14, £250 (equivalent to 1.5%)
·         On SCP 15, £200 (equivalent to 1.2%)
·         On SCP 16, £200 (equivalent to 1.2%)
·         On SCP 17, £175 (equivalent to 1.01%)
·         On SCPs 18 and above, 1.0%

And from 1 April 2017

·         On SCP 6, £500 (equivalent to 3.4%)
·         On SCP 7, £500 (equivalent to 3.4%)
·         On SCP 8, £475 (equivalent to 3.2%)
·         On SCP 9, £400 (equivalent to 2.6%)
·         On SCP 10, £375 (equivalent to 2.5%)
·         On SCP 11, £300 (equivalent to 1.9%)
·         On SCP 12, £300 (equivalent to 1.9%)
·         On SCP 13, £300 (equivalent to 1.9%)
·         On SCP 14, £300 (equivalent to 1.8%)
·         On SCP 15, £300 (equivalent to 1.8%)
·         On SCP 16, £250 (equivalent to 1.5%)
·         On SCP 17, £225 (equivalent to 1.3%)
·         On SCPs 18 and above, 1.0%

Joint review of term-time working agreed

As part of this pay offer, the LGA agreed to our call for fair treatment for school support staff through a joint review of term-time working. 

Protection of Part 2 conditions refused

The LGA were not prepared to meet the other element of our claim, calling for the retention and protection of Part 2 conditions.
The LGA’s pay offer letter is attached, together with indicative scales setting out the impact of the offer on each spinal column pay point (scp) on the NJC pay spine and the London GLPC Inner and Outer pay spines.

The UNISON NJC Committee has agreed to hold a formal consultation on the Employers’ final pay offer for 2016/18 under the Service Group Pay Consultation Procedures.


UNISON’s NJC Committee’s view on the pay offer

The UNISON NJC Committee recommends that members REJECT the two-year 2016/18 pay offer. The Committee believes that the offer falls far short of what our members deserve and the employers can afford. However, the Committee is clear that the offer is the best achievable by negotiation and that nothing short of a concerted campaign at political level and industrial action up to and including all out strike action will have the potential to improve the offer.

Branches are asked to consult members on this basis, setting out clearly the recommendation of the UNISON NJC Committee and using the consultation question enclosed. The UNISON NJC Committee will be meeting on Tuesday 23 February 2016 to consider the results of the consultation and agree the next steps in our pay campaign.

GMB AND UNITE


Unite is also consulting their members on the basis that the pay offer should be rejected. GMB is adopting a neutral position in their membership consultation.