Youth and connexions workers on JNC pay and conditions in Unison have accepted a 1% pay offer by 55% to 45%. In Camden members were split 50-50.
UNISON recently consulted members covered by the Youth and Community Workers JNC on the employers’ final pay offer. The employers’ final offer was 1% on all pay points.
UNISON’s Youth and Community Workers Committee put the offer to members as the best achievable by negotiation, making clear that the offer was not a good one and did not meet the needs of members, but that sustained, all-out strike action would be needed to get an improved offer.
UNISON members have voted to ACCEPT the pay offer by a margin of 55% to 45%.
Unite, the other major union on the JNC, consulted its members around the same time as UNISON. Unite members voted to reject the pay offer, by a margin of 66% to 34%. However, Unite have decided not to pursue any action in respect of this year’s pay.
A meeting of the Staff Side of the JNC is being arranged, at which a formal joint position can be decided. But given that UNISON members have accepted the offer, and Unite are not pursuing it any further, it is likely that the meeting will focus mainly on agreeing a strong joint campaign for 2014/15, with a demand for a pay increase which reflects the massive drop in living standards experienced by members, as well as their hard work and commitment.
Even if the 1% offer is accepted by the joint unions, youth and community workers have suffered a real terms pay cut in all but one year since 2006. In addition, some workers will still earn less than the Living Wage – the minimum level needed for a decent standard of living. As a result, members’ living standards have fallen dramatically, while they continue to provide an excellent service, in the face of massive funding cuts and job losses. It is clear that a strong campaign for fair pay will be needed next year.
We will update this post below with developments, including when Camden will implement the pay rise as soon as we know.