Read on for more information on the 2-year pay offer which has been made by the employers for NJC council workers. Importantly it does break the pay freeze, but it still doesn’t keep up with inflation.
In summary, the employers have put together a final offer worth 2% from 1 April 2018 and a further 2% from 1 April 2019 for everyone on scale point 20 and above, with bigger pay increases up to around 9% per year for the lower paid.
In 2018 here are the proposed increases for the lower paid:
· On SCP 6, £1,380 (equivalent to 9.191%)
· On SCP 7, £1,380 (equivalent to 9.130%)
· On SCP 8, £1,380 (equivalent to 9.052%)
· On SCP 9, £1,380 (equivalent to 8.976%)
· On SCP 10, £1,250 (equivalent to 8.006%)
· On SCP 11, £1,200 (equivalent to 7.592%)
· On SCP 12, £1,050 (equivalent to 6.512%)
· On SCP 13, £900 (equivalent to 5.458%)
· On SCP 14, £900 (equivalent to 5.363%)
· On SCP 15, £900 (equivalent to 5.272%)
· On SCP 16, £900 (equivalent to 5.167%)
· On SCP 17, £900 (equivalent to 5.064%)
· On SCP 18, £800 (equivalent to 4.427%)
· On SCP 19, £700 (equivalent to 3.734%)
The following year there will be similar increases for the lower paid, along with some changes to evenly space out scale points and add some additional scale points.
A full breakdown of the offer is in this briefing attached.
That this offer breaks the government’s 1% pay cap is a testament to union campaigning on this issue. However members should bear in mind that inflation – that is, the amount by which prices are rising – is currently around 4%. So a 2% “increase” is still a pay cut in real terms, which will add to the around 20% pay cut we have had in real terms since the pay freeze began in 2010.
Therefore when members are consulted on this offer Camden UNISON will most likely recommend rejection of this offer and call for a real pay increase.
The unions’ NJC committee will consider this offer and how to consult on it on 23 January 2018 so we hope to have an update after that point so check our website for more information in the New Year. And do please continue to encourage your colleagues to join UNISON as the more of us there are the better pay rises we can win in the future.