Unison NI reacts to pay offer for council and school staff

"It shows local government employers are beginning to understand the financial nightmare school and council staff are living through. But it's not enough to make up for a decade and more of lost wages."
The unions’ joint 2022 claim, which applies from 1 April 2022, would have  seen council and school employees receive either a £2,000 rise or the current rate of RPI (presently 11.8%), whichever is higher. The three unions say ​staff working in local government have seen an average of 27.5% wiped from the value of their pay since 2010. 

The one-year offer from the Local Government Association would see wage increases of between 4% for senior council and school staff, and 10.5% for those on the lowest grades. 

Back in June, UNISON, GMB and Unite submitted a joint claim calling for a pay boost of at least £2,000 for all council and school staff. 

All Unions will now consult with their members over the offer.

We will await the results of discussions at UNISONS NJC committee which covers Northern Ireland Wales and England  in the coming days.

The absence of an Assembly or an executive in Northern Ireland together with a caretaker Education Minister  will make either the implementation of this offer or improvement to it very difficult.

In the meantime Support side trade unions  are pressing  ahead with the separate n Education Authority  pay and grading review .

UNISON branches are getting ballot ready over the summer months to take Industrial action in the event of little or no progress on both fronts