Branch Consultation on 2012–13 Pay Claim
The UNISON NJC Committee have asked branches to consult members on the basis of the following claim:
- A substantial increase on all pay points which recognises the hardship being suffered by local government workers – in particular the lowest paid.
- An end to attacks on terms and conditions
The Committee considered a wide range of factors when considering the content of the claim, some of which are listed below.
- NJC workers are still losing out in comparison with other public sector workers
- There are still large pay differentials between NJC and other public sector workers, especially those in the NHS eg a Nursery Nurse in the NHS earns 10.27% more and a Domestic Support Worker 15.21% more.
- £250 compensation was not paid
- Despite the Chancellor’s promise that local authorities pay £250 to the lowest paid workers earning less than £21,000, only four local authorities have done so – Essex County Council is not one of them.
- Pay is not keeping up with rising inflation
- Compared to 2008/9 the 2010/11 local government gross pay bill saw a 5.2% dive when inflation is accounted for and a survey by the Office of National Statistics showed that the average worker is £750 worse off due to the rising cost of living.
- It would take an 11% increase to compensate.
- NJC workers are doing more for less
With the ever shrinking workforce, NJC workers are set to become even more short-changed. Mainstream local government has declined by 15,000 FTE since 2008 but the level of unpaid work carried out by public sector workers increased by 4% on last year and 26.3% of local government public sector staff regularly put in more than seven hours of unpaid overtime each week.
