STOP PRESS – The 2023/24 NJC pay award was agreed 1 November – see post above
The Joint Trade Unions met today (19 September) to discuss the 2023/24 NJC pay offer.
UNISON was quite clear – given the small number of employers where we secured a mandate to take industrial action, UNISON is arguing to accept the pay award now so it reaches pay packets as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, this is not the position of Unite who have a relatively small number of members in a few local authorities taking strike action.
The GMB have only just begun balloting some of their members (not in Sandwell) and their ballot closes 24 October and therefore are unwilling to accept the pay offer at the moment.
Given this disagreement on the trade union side it was resolved to meet again after the end of the GMB ballot – but UNISON – as the union who represents more local government members than both Unite and the GMB combined (and therefore has more seats on the full trade union side NJC Committee) – will be arguing to accept the offer.
The delay means that the earliest the pay award will reach your pay packets will be November. The award will be back dated from 1 April when it is paid.
Further updates will be posted on this website.
STOP PRESS – We should have news sometime Wednesday 1st November