As you will know from previous years our pay rise is linked to the discussions between unions in local government and the Local Government Employers. At present both us and Barnardo’s are in the position of waiting for others to decide. In the past few years that has led to delays which have not been welcomed.
Clearly we live in challenging financial times. Martin Narey signalled his
concerns in his broadcast earlier this year. There have been pay
settlements in other big Voluntary Organisations ranging from complete pay
freeze to 0.5%. We are pleased to report that we have had no
indication of Barnardo's following suit! We are anticipating that
Barnardo's will follow their previous policy of following NJC agreements
once ratified.
In the meantime, the discussions between the unions and Local Government Employers go on. Currently UNISON is consulting in their local government branches on the pay offer below which is being recommended for acceptance.
The Local Government Employers have offered:
· Pay
From 1 April 2009 an increase of 1.25% on SCPs 4 to 10 inclusive.
From 1 April 2009 an increase of 1.00% on SCPs 11 to 49 inclusive.
· Annual Leave
From 1 April 2009, an increase from 20 to 21 days in minimum annual leave for employees with less than five years’ service.
The National Agreement Part 2 Para 7.2 would therefore be amended to read as follows, with effect from 1 April 2009:
7.2 Annual Leave
The minimum paid annual leave entitlement is twenty one days with a further four days after five years of continuous service. The entitlement as expressed applies to five day working patterns. For alternative working patterns an equivalent leave entitlement should be calculated.
· Joint Statement on Best Practice in Handling Redundancies
By 1 December 2009, the NJC will produce joint guidance on best practice in handling redundancies.
The employers state that this improved offer represents their final position and they are not prepared to negotiate further. If the offer is rejected, councils will not implement it unilaterally so there would be no increase for 2009/10.
Barnardo’s has historically always paid the pay rise negotiated between
Unions and Local Government Employers ( the NJC agreement).
We have been in discussions with Barnardo’s about this years pay
award and expect to be able to report back to you during September once NJC
has reported. So look out for updates on the web site and on your
email.
