2024 Pay Claim
The NJC support staff unions submitted their pay claim for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 on 29 February 2024.
The claim is for the following:
- An increase of at least £3,000 or 10% (whichever is greater) on all spinal column points.
In addition:
- Reviews of the gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps in local government.
- A two-hour reduction in the working week with no detriment.
- An additional day of annual leave for personal or wellbeing purposes (with term-time only staff also receiving a full day rather than a pro rata amount, that they can use at any time, including term time).
- A phased approach to reaching a minimum pay rate of £15 an hour in a maximum of two years, sooner if possible.
You can read the full claim
here.
The National Employers were carrying out stakeholder consultation during March before issuing their response to the pay claim.
2024 Pay Offer
On 16 May, the National Employers made a full and final offer in response to the pay claim.
The Local Government Association (LGA) published details of the offer:
“
A pay increase of at least £1,290*, which equates to 5.77 per cent for the lowest paid, from 1 April 2024.”
“For the lowest paid (currently earning £22,366 per annum), the offer means their pay will have increased by £5,323 (almost 30 per cent) over the three years since April 2021. For those on all pay points above the top of the pay spine, an offer of 2.50 per cent has been made.”
*
The offer will be different for members in London; in outer London, the offer is £1,491, and in inner London, it is £1,575.
The formal pay offer can be read in full
here.
July 2024
Following the pay offer made on 16 May, the NJC unions consulted their members.
UNISON and
Unite made a recommendation to
reject the employers’ offer.
GMB made no recommendation on whether its members should accept or reject the offer. The consultations have all now closed. So far, the only results published are that GMB members voted to accept the offer.
Update: 24 July 2024
Unison and Unite members voted to reject the pay offer. Unison
has announced that it will now proceed with an industrial action ballot. The ballot is set to run from 4 September until 16 October.
Update: October 2024
The 2024 pay award for support staff employed under the NJC Green Book was agreed on 22 October 2024. The pay award for points 2-43 is a flat rate of £1,290* per point, backdated to 1 April 2024. All locally determined pay points above the maximum of the pay spine but graded below deputy chief officer, should be increased by 2.5%.
Allowances, including overtime rates, should be increased by 2.5%.
The National Employers are encouraging employers to implement the pay award as swiftly as possible.
Backpay for employees who have left employment since 1 April 2024
If requested by an ex-employee to do so, the National Employers recommend that employers should pay any monies due to that employee from 1 April 2024 to the employee’s last day of employment (guidance on this can be found in the details of the pay award below).
Full details of the award can be found
here.
ASCL is disappointed that, for the third consecutive year, the differentiated nature of this award means that those working in business leadership roles receive a lower pay award than most of the education workforce.
We will continue to push for business leaders to be brought into the STPCD and STPC(W)D to ensure that they receive remuneration and recognition in line with their leadership colleagues.
*For schools signed up to the London Agreement, this is £1,491 (Outer London) or £1,575 (Inner London)