Unions are seeking a 10% hike for social workers and other council staff this year to redress pay losses since 2010 and prevent staff “finding better-paid work elsewhere”.
UNISON, GMB and Unite today lodged their claim for a rise of £3,000 or 10% – whichever is higher – for staff covered by the National Joint Council for Local Government Services (NJC). This comprises those employed by the majority of English, Welsh and Northern Irish councils.
The claim is well above the current rate of inflation, which was 4% in the year to January 2024, according to the government’s preferred consumer prices index (CPI) measure, in the year to January 2024.
31% drop in social work pay rates, claim unions
However, the unions said that annual pay rises for local government staff had fallen 25% behind retail price index (RPI) measure of inflation since 2010, with a 31% drop in salary rates for some social workers. RPI tends to be higher than CPI, which excludes housing costs.
They said that not only was a significant real-terms increase needed to recover lost ground, but it would help prevent a staff exodus amid the stresses of much local authority work and cost of living pressures.
The claim covers all pay points up to 43, where the minimum salary is £51,515 outside the capital, £54,129 in outer London and £55,158 in inner London.
As the vast majority of social workers earn over £30,000, their pay would rise be 10% under the unions’ proposal.
Staff ‘will find better-paid work’ without pay boost
UNISON, the biggest social worker union, said that “a decent pay offer [was] essential”.
“Communities rely on the services provided by council and school workers,” said its head of local government, Mike Short. “But if staff don’t feel valued and can find better-paid work elsewhere, there’ll be no one to carry out these vital functions.”
For Unite, national officer Claire Keogh added: “After years of real-term pay cuts, local government employers need to recognise that there is growing anger among local government workers about the way they are treated year after year in pay negotiations.
“Many union members are reporting that they cannot pay their bills, they are struggling to pay their mortgage or rent costs and some have even had to rely on food banks. We will not stand by and allow this to happen.”
This employers’ side of the NJC will likely respond with their pay offer for 2024-25 in the coming weeks.
While any increase will date from 1 April, settlements tend to be agreed much later in the year because of protracted wrangling between the two sides.
Last year’s pay deal
The majority of staff in outer London authorities received £2,226, with £2,352 for those in inner London boroughs, and a 3.88% rise for the highest earners.
The government has calculated that local authorities in England will be able to increase their budgets by 7.5% in cash terms in 2024-25, reliant on maximising council tax rises.
Severe financial pressures on councils
However, many authorities are under severe pressure, with a Local Government Association survey finding that three-quarters of social services authorities face making adult social care cuts and 69% children’s services reductions.
Analysis for the unions found that their pay claim would cost the state in England around £1.2bn in 2024-25, with a £2.2bn cost to councils offset by about £1bn in increased tax take and reduced benefit payments for central government.
However, the benefits for central government will not accrue to councils meaning they will have to meet the upfront costs of any pay settlement.
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They will only take the same as last year and take months to muddle over it
Yup! Not holding out much hope for a good deal!
Totally agree with that
Let us have some positivity.
We all want to be positive but let’s have it in April instead of at the end of the year
Workers will have to fight for such a deal and the unions must be determined to win a ballot if other unions have reached the threshold then Unison Unite and GMB should as well.
I would be grateful for £1925 again but I bet it will be less
Let’s hope the government are keen to buy local authority workers’ votes, and instruct the NJC to offer what’s requested so pay can be in place before a May election.
Downside will likely then be a pay freeze or cap at like 1 or 2% next year to rebalance the books.
Not sure about that…likely hood would be that the Tories are out by then…and pretty sure Labour would not want to see protracted industrial action in the first year of there new tenure…
I’ll say one thing for sure, the authority will make its final offer at the end of March likely £1200 and the keystone kops aka the unions will argue until the end of October and get nowhere as usual. I can’t remember the last time unions got any movement on the final offer. Think they all poop in the same pot to be fair.
Let’s just hope they get their act together so we’re not waiting until November again.
I have just heard from my local Unison branch that they are not expecting a decision on pay before the May elections. They advise that the National employers are due to have their initial meeting in April with a final meeting in May.