The NJC trade union side (UNISON, Unite, GMB) submitted their claim on 31 January 2025 as follows:
The unions’ headline demand is for an increase of at least £3,000 on all spinal column points, from 1 April 2025. In addition, the claim calls for:
• A clear plan to reach a minimum pay rate of £15 an hour
• One extra day of annual leave for all staff
• A reduction in the working week by two hours, with no loss of pay
• The ability for school staff to take [at least] one day of their annual leave during term time, with no loss of pay
The NJC Employers’ Side met and agreed a pay offer for 2025 in response to our claim.
The full offer letter can be found here. The key points are:
– A 3.2% increase on all pay points
– Deletion of pay point 2 from April 2026
– Rejection of the elements of the claim on £15 an hour minimum, leave and hours
The offer is ‘full and final’, but there is some wording about the intention to negotiate properly in the next pay round, once a more stable funding settlement for local government has been achieved.
Regions are currently consulting branches and will feed back to the NJC Committee meeting scheduled for the 8th of May.