This is the first stage of submitting UNISON’s pay claim and UNISON’s NJC Committee is seeking your opinion on the proposals set out below.
The committee will then consider feedback from members before submitting our pay claim to the National Joint Council. The council is made up of representatives from trade unions and the employers.
Once our pay claim is submitted we will then enter negotiations. A ballot will follow once we have a formal offer from the employers.
There are further details on the pay claim proposals after the ‘have your say’ section.
The 2024 pay claim – proposed headlines
The NJC Committee proposes that the 2024 pay claim is for:
- An increase of 10% or £3,000, whichever is the greater
- A commitment to reach a minimum rate of pay of £15 an hour over the next two years, with a clear plan for how this will be achieved
- Reviews of the gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps in local government
Have your say
Please note: this pay claim relates to ‘Green Book’ NJC members.
Voting has now closed. Results have been shared with branches.
UNISON members in councils and schools continue to experience a significant cost of living crisis, with food, heating and transport costs continuing to increase. While headline inflation figures have begun to fall, RPI inflation, the inflation measure which UNISON believes is the most accurate reflection of the realities members face, is currently at 6.1%.
UNISON’s NJC Committee is therefore proposing a claim for a 10% increase in pay, which is above inflation, to ensure the real value of members’ pay does not fall further behind, and begins to catch up on the years of lost earnings.
The £3,000 element of the claim would ensure that members who are paid the least receive the support they need in dealing with the continuing financial pressures they face.
The claim for a clear move towards a £15 an hour hourly rate is in line with policy agreed at UNISON’s Local Government Conference.
The claim also includes clear demands for work on the gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps, in line with UNISON policy.