24 March 2014
Issue No 21
NJC Pay 2014/15 - Branch Consultation
Begins on Final Offer
At the meeting of the NJC Executive held on 20 March 2014, the Local Government
Association (LGA) Employers made the following final pay offer:
Offer
New Hourly Rate







£6.75
£6.82
£6.90
£7.05
£7.22
£7.35
£580 on pay point 5
£550 on pay point 6
£400 on pay point 7
£275 on pay point 8
£200 on pay point 9
£175 on pay point 10
1.0% on pay points 11 and above
The Employers offer letter is attached together with indicative scales setting out the impact
of the offer on each scale point.
The UNISON NJC Committee has agreed to hold a formal consultation on the
Employers’ final NJC pay offer for 2014/15 under the Service Group Pay Consultation
Procedures.
UNISON’s NJC Committee’s views on the offer
The UNISON NJC Committee is clear the Employers' below-inflation final pay offer
falls woefully below the aspirations in our 2014-15 pay claim and what our members
deserve. It does nothing to begin restoring the 20% real loss in NJC pay value since
2010 and the effect falling pay has on members’ future pensions. It means yet
another year with a further pay cut for the vast majority of our members. It leaves
half a million NJC members below the Living Wage and the lowest paid 50,000 just
30p above the National Minimum Wage.
The UNISON NJC Committee strongly recommends this meagre final offer is
REJECTED and that we move to an official industrial action ballot in support of the
claim on behalf of those employed on NJC terms. The Committee urges all
members to support the recommendation in this consultation.
Branches are asked to consult members on this basis, using the consultation question
enclosed and the UNISON NJC Committee will be meeting on Thursday 24 April 2014 to
consider the results of the consultation.
The NJC Trade Unions
The Trade Union Side has already adopted the position that a 1% increase for 2014/15
is not acceptable. All three unions will therefore consult their members on the basis that
the offer should be rejected.
UNISON’S CONSULTATION PROCESS
It is vital that as many members as possible take part in the consultation on the
2014/15 offer.
Attached to this circular are the Service Group Pay Consultation Procedures, ratified by
Conference. The Consultation Procedures are designed to ensure maximum participation
of members and the clearest possible view of their feelings on pay offers. Any consultation
which takes place outside agreed procedures will not be counted.
Ballots Please!
Consultation should be through branch ballots in as many workplaces as possible following workplace meetings - in accordance with the consultation procedures. This will
ensure the maximum possible vote on the offer and allow the UNISON NJC Committee to
get a clear picture of members’ views on it. Any decision on the next steps needs to be
informed by the clear views of members. It is therefore important to prioritise school
workplace meetings in the next two weeks so that we reach school members before the
end of term.
The UNISON NJC Committee has asked that branches carry out postal ballots of
members, particularly members in schools. This is because the Easter holidays occurs
during the consultation period. If assistance is needed, branches are encouraged to
contact their Regional Head of Local Government at the Regional Office.
If it is impossible to hold a postal ballot, please make sure that members are asked at
branch or workplace meetings whether they want to accept or reject the offer on the ballot
paper. The numbers of those voting to accept the offer and those voting to reject it must
be recorded. If they are not, the consultation response will not be included in the overall
outcome.
How to run a branch ballot
Branches are asked to give the exact number of members voting to accept and
voting to reject the offer, NOT the number of members in the branch. Responses
which do not detail numbers of those voting to accept and those voting to reject the
offer will not be included in the total figures.
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Members in ‘hard to reach’ workplaces - or whose working hours fall outside ‘core’ working
patterns - are more likely to take part if a ballot is held. Branches are also urged to hold
branch and/or workplace meetings with Regional NJC reps and national speakers before
voting takes place. Previous consultations by ballot have shown increased participation
and a higher response rate than from meetings alone. Regions will be asked to provide
assistance and aggregate branch responses.
Who should be consulted?
Branches should only consult those members who would directly benefit from the NJC pay
offer. This means only those members who are contractually conditioned to the National
Joint Council for Local Government Services pay and conditions. This will include some
staff in the Fire and Emergency Planning Services and National Parks, voluntary
controlled, voluntary aided, foundation and trust schools.
Branches should not consult those members covered by other agreements, e.g. craft
workers, youth and community workers, chief officers, Soulbury staff, probation service
ancillary workers, staff in airports or FE and 6th form colleges.
Members on local pay and conditions or individual contracts not related to the NJC
agreement should not be consulted either.
For legal reasons related to the recent Alemo-Heron case, the union has decided only to
include employers where the NJC terms are directly applicable. This means that members
who have transferred under TUPE from a local authority should not be consulted – unless
they are contractually conditioned to NJC pay and conditions. This will affect members
employed by ALMOs local authority trading companies and also school academies.
However branches can seek advice from their Regional Organiser/Office if a collective
agreement has been negotiated post -TUPE for terms and conditions to be as provided for
in the NJC agreements.
A list of employer inclusions/exclusions for the consultation exercise is attached.
The definition of an NJC conditioned employer is either:

A negotiated post-transfer collective agreement providing for payment of NJC
increases; or

A term in the individual employment contract that NJC increases will be paid, and
that entitlement does not arise/continue through the operation of TUPE.
If branches have any difficulty in deciding who to consult, they should seek advice from
their Regional Organiser/Office.
Consultation timetable
Branches must forward their consultation results by 5.00 pm on Thursday 17 April 2014
to their Regional Head of Local Government at the Regional Office. Regional Heads of
Local Government have been asked to send all the results from their Regions to the Local
Government Section by 12 noon on Wednesday 23 April 2014.
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The UNISON NJC Committee is very conscious that this is a tight timetable for branch
consultation. However this is unavoidable if we want to be able to take industrial action
before most schools break up for the summer holidays
Consultation Questions
It is very important that all branches consult on the same basis - by ballot wherever
possible. A ballot paper is enclosed, along with the form to be used by branches to return
their consultation results to their Region.
On the ballot paper, members are asked if they wish to reject or accept the offer.
Electronic Consultation
The Local Government Service Group’s pay consultation procedures were last revised by
Conference in 2006. During that time, technological advances have meant that electronic
means of voting and consultation are now available. Our consultation procedures are
currently being reviewed to examine electronic options, but any new procedures will need
to be agreed by Conference before being implemented. In the meantime there is no
provision for electronic consultation.
This means that branches can email the ballot form as circulated direct to members and
ask for completed ballot forms to be emailed back. However, they should not use
electronic voting methods e.g. Survey Monkey or voting buttons.
Results of the consultation
The UNISON NJC Committee will consider the outcome of the consultation and decide its
course of action based on all the responses to the consultation at its meeting on 24 April
2014.
Talk to your members
The following will be sent to branches later this week and will be available on the UNISON
website

A PowerPoint presentation and speakers’ notes.

A PDF of a members leaflet on the offer and UNISON NJC Committee’s view
The printed leaflet will be available from stock in the near future.
Please use these materials as extensively as possible and keep an eye out for the
campaign through the ‘UNISON In Local Government’ facebook page.
The consultation materials must be used by all branches for the consultation
through branch ballots so that all members are asked the same questions and
respond in a way that can be collated across the union.
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RECRUIT AND ORGANISE
As branches will be holding workplace meetings, please use the opportunity to speak to
non-members about the offer and why they should be a part of this union. We need to
increase our density across NJC employers and this offer gives branches the opportunity
to build our membership for the future. There will be more issues to fight on in the near
future! You can tell them that our campaign for decent pay and conditions will continue
over the next year and beyond and they should be part of it.
The Local Government Employers have offered:
The UNISON NJC Committee is clear the Employers' below-inflation
final pay offer falls woefully below the aspirations in our 2014-15 pay
claim and what our members deserve. It does nothing to begin
restoring the 20% real loss in NJC pay value since 2010 and the effect
falling pay has on members’ future pensions. It means yet another year
with a further pay cut for the vast majority of our members. It leaves
half a million NJC members below the Living Wage and the lowest paid
50,000 just 30p above the National Minimum Wage.
The UNISON NJC Committee strongly recommends this meagre final
offer is REJECTED and that we move to an official industrial action
ballot in support of the claim on behalf of those employed on NJC
terms. The Committee urges all members to support the
recommendation in this consultation.
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Heather Wakefield, Brian Strutton, Fiona Farmer
Trade Union Side Secretaries
NJC for Local Government Services
UNISON Centre
130 Euston Road
London
NW1 2AY
20 March 2014
Dear Heather, Brian and Fiona,
LOCAL GOVERNMENT PAY 2014
I am writing on behalf of the Employers’ Side of the NJC to respond formally to the Trade
Union Side’s pay claim.
The National Employers have, after careful consideration and extensive consultation,
agreed to make the following final offer that we believe balances the desire to provide a
pay increase for all NJC employees with councils’ limits of affordability:







£580 on pay point 5 with effect from 1 April 2014
£550 on pay point 6 with effect from 1 April 2014
£400 on pay point 7 with effect from 1 April 2014
£275 on pay point 8 with effect from 1 April 2014
£200 on pay point 9 with effect from 1 April 2014
£175 on pay point 10 with effect from 1 April 2014
1.0% on pay points 11 and above with effect from 1 April 2014
We understand that you may wish to put this offer to your members for consultation; if so,
we would be grateful if you could advise the anticipated timescales involved.
Yours sincerely,
Sarah Messenger
Employers’ Secretary
Local Government House, Smith Square, London SW1P 3HZ T 020 7187 7373 F 020 7664 3030 E info@local.gov.uk www.local.gov.uk
Registered Office Local Government House, Smith Square, London SW1P 3HZ
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DRAFT 2014 Payscales : Employer Pay Offer 20 March 14
2013
2014 Offer
SCP
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
per annum
per hour
per annum
per hour
% increase
£12,435
£12,614
£12,915
£13,321
£13,725
£14,013
£14,880
£15,189
£15,598
£15,882
£16,215
£16,604
£16,998
£17,333
£17,980
£18,638
£19,317
£19,817
£20,400
£21,067
£21,734
£22,443
£23,188
£23,945
£24,892
£25,727
£26,539
£27,323
£28,127
£28,922
£29,528
£30,311
£31,160
£32,072
£33,128
£33,998
£34,894
£35,784
£36,676
£37,578
£38,422
£39,351
£40,254
£41,148
£42,032
£6.45
£6.54
£6.69
£6.90
£7.11
£7.26
£7.71
£7.87
£8.08
£8.23
£8.40
£8.61
£8.81
£8.98
£9.32
£9.66
£10.01
£10.27
£10.57
£10.92
£11.27
£11.63
£12.02
£12.41
£12.90
£13.33
£13.76
£14.16
£14.58
£14.99
£15.31
£15.71
£16.15
£16.62
£17.17
£17.62
£18.09
£18.55
£19.01
£19.48
£19.92
£20.40
£20.86
£21.33
£21.79
£13,015
£13,114
£13,315
£13,621
£13,925
£14,188
£15,029
£15,341
£15,754
£16,041
£16,377
£16,770
£17,168
£17,506
£18,160
£18,824
£19,510
£20,015
£20,604
£21,278
£21,951
£22,667
£23,420
£24,184
£25,141
£25,984
£26,804
£27,596
£28,408
£29,211
£29,823
£30,614
£31,472
£32,393
£33,459
£34,338
£35,243
£36,142
£37,043
£37,954
£38,806
£39,745
£40,657
£41,559
£42,452
£6.75
£6.82
£6.90
£7.05
£7.22
£7.35
£7.79
£7.95
£8.17
£8.31
£8.49
£8.69
£8.90
£9.07
£9.41
£9.76
£10.11
£10.37
£10.68
£11.03
£11.38
£11.75
£12.14
£12.54
£13.03
£13.47
£13.89
£14.30
£14.72
£15.14
£15.46
£15.87
£16.31
£16.79
£17.34
£17.80
£18.27
£18.73
£19.20
£19.67
£20.11
£20.60
£21.07
£21.54
£22.00
4.66%
4.36%
3.10%
2.06%
1.46%
1.25%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
1.00%
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