NJC Employers' Pay Offer 2023-24

This offer was made to unions for negotiation in February 2023. The trade unions are consulting with their members before it is finalised.  At that point the usual hourly pay scales will be issued by NALC/LALC.   This information is provided for budgeting purposes only. See the percentage table at the bottom of this page for the likely percentage increase that is being offered for each scale point in this offer. 

National Employers for local government services

Mike Short, Rachel Harrison, Clare Keogh Trade Union Side Secretaries

NJC for Local Government Services c/o UNISON Centre

130 Euston Road

London NW1 2AY

23 February 2023

Dear Mike, Rachel and Clare

LOCAL GOVERNMENT PAY 2023

Thank you for your pay claim which was received on 30 January. As you know, the employers moved very quickly to brief councils on it, with that process concluding on 15 February. The National Employers met today and agreed to respond formally to your pay claim.

The National Employers wish to make the following full and final, one-year (1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024) offer:

•      With effect from 1 April 2023, an increase of £1,925 (pro rata for part-time employees) to be paid as a consolidated, permanent addition on all NJC pay points 2 to 43 inclusive. The equivalent percentage increases to each pay point are shown at Annex A

•      With effect from 1 April 2023, an increase of 3.88 per cent on all pay points above the maximum of the pay spine but graded below deputy chief officer

(in accordance with Green Book Part 2 Para 5.4¹)

•      With effect from 1 April 2023, an increase of 3.88 per cent on all allowances

(as listed in the 2022 NJC pay agreement circular dated 1 November 2022)

In response to other elements of your claim:

Your claim seeks, “A review of the pay spine, including looking at the top end, and discussions about the link between how remuneration can be used to improve retention.” The National Employers propose that the Joint Secretaries enter into exploratory ‘without prejudice’ informal discussions in order to map out the practical considerations of how and when the pay spine might be reviewed once the future policy direction of the National Living Wage has been confirmed.

The employers are puzzled by the inclusion in your claim for the third consecutive year of an element that has formed part of both the 2021 and 2022 employer offers, despite which, your Side has never pursued the matter with us. I therefore remind you that the employers have twice previously offered (and offer again this year) to “enter into discussions on the broader family leave and pay issues raised in your claim.”

¹ The Green Book Part 2 Para 5.4 provides that posts paid above the maximum of the pay spine but graded below deputy chief officer are within scope of the NJC. The pay levels for such posts are determined locally, but once fixed are increased in line with agreements reached by the NJC.

The National Employers also repeat their offers from 2021 and 2022 to incorporate into the National Agreement’s Maternity Scheme, the statutory provisions that provide for an additional week’s leave for each week a neonatal baby is in hospital, for up to 12 weeks, paid currently at the statutory rate of £156.66² per week (or 90 per cent of earnings, if less).

Your claim seeks, “A review of job evaluation outcomes for school staff whose day-to-day work includes working on Special Educational Needs (SEN).” The National Employers reject your request that job evaluation outcomes are reviewed, as these are matters entirely for local determination rather than by the NJC.

However, the National Employers are aware that the model profiles for school support staff roles, produced by the NJC’s Job Evaluation Technical Working Group (JETWG) are now ten years’ old. Three of the profiles are for different levels of Additional Support Needs Assistant roles, which cover employees with SEN responsibilities. The National Employers therefore propose that the Joint Secretaries agree that JETWG conducts a review of all the 2013 role profiles to see whether any of the terminology needs refreshing to take account of, for example, technological advances and new ways of working that may have taken place over the last ten years.

Finally, in response to the remaining elements of your claim, the employers reject the following:

•      Consideration of a flat rate increase to hourly rates of pay in order to bring the minimum rate up to £15 per hour within two years

•      Establishing model role profiles for school support staff jobs, with advisory banding structures

•      An additional day of annual leave for personal or well-being purposes

•      A homeworking allowance for staff for whom it is a requirement to work from home

•      A reduction in the working week by two hours

The National Employers hope this final offer can quickly form the basis of an agreement between the two Sides so that employees, who continue to provide such critical support to their communities, can receive this award as soon as is practicable.

Yours sincerely,

Naomi Cooke

Naomi Cooke

Employers’ Secretary

² Will increase to £172.48 per week, from April 2023