FAQs

The 2023/24 Local Government & Schools Pay offer is for one year and is as follows:

• With effect from 1 April 2023, an increase of £1,925 (pro rata for part-time and term time only employees) to be paid as a consolidated, permanent addition on all NJC pay points 2 to 43 inclusive. This equates to 9.42% for SCP2 and 3.88% for SCP43. (SCP1 is deleted with effect from 1^st April 2023).
  
  
• With effect from 1 April 2023, an increase of 3.88% on all pay points above the maximum of the pay spine but graded below deputy chief officer (in accordance with Green Book Part 2 Para 5.4).
  
  
• With effect from 1 April 2023, an increase of 3.88% on all allowances (as listed in the 2022 NJC pay agreement circular dated 1 November 2022).
  
  

The employers also responded to the other elements of the joint union pay claim as follows:

The pay increase is consolidated and will be added to the employee’s annual salary and be paid monthly. If this pay offer is accepted, it will be back dated to 1^st April 2023.

The allowances impacted by this pay offer are:

• GREEN BOOK: Part 3, Para 2.6(e) Sleeping-in Duty Payment
  
  
• PURPLE BOOK (Former APT&C Agreement):
• Para 28(3) Nursery Staff in Educational Establishments – Special Educational Needs Allowance
• Para 28(14) Laboratory / Workshop Technicians:
  
  **City & Guilds Science Laboratory Technicians Certificate Allowance
  
  ** City & Guilds Laboratory Technicians Advance Certificate Allowance

• Para 32 London Weighting and Fringe Area Allowance (Inner & Outer Fringe Area)
• Para 35 Standby Duty Allowance – Social Workers (1)(a)(i) Allowance
  
  
• WHITE BOOK (Former Manual Worker Agreement):
• Section 1, Para 3 London and Fringe Area Allowances (Inner & Outer)

All staff on NJC Green Book conditions working in councils, schools, academies and various other bodies. Over 1 million workers are covered by NJC Green Book conditions. The NJC agreement covers workers in England, Wales & Northern Ireland. It is important to note that some employers in these sectors have opted out of the NJC.

This offer doesn’t apply to Craft Workers on Red Book terms, staff on Chief Officer Terms, or staff coming under any pay arrangements other than the NJC Green Book. For example, this does not apply to staff working in academies which do not follow green book terms and conditions (although some workers who have transferred from a local authority and retained their terms and conditions under a TUPE transfer may still come under the NJC).

Updates regarding Chief Officers and Craft Workers can be accessed on the online noticeboards.

For the vast majority of academy staff, the pay offer will apply because your pay is still determined by NJC. 

However, for a small number, pay may not be determined in this way. 

For example, in a multi academy trust that has moved away from NJC and negotiates pay separately and where staff have a new academy contract. 

If you are unsure, contact your local GMB Representative or Branch. Details of GMB Regions can be found at GMB Regions | GMB

Spinal Column Points (SCPs) are a set of salary levels. Together they make up the national pay spine, which is what the NJC negotiates on.

Due to the deletion of SCP1 with effect from 1^st April 2023, the national pay spine starts at SCP 2 and ends at SCP 43. The NJC rates for SCP 2 at 2022/23 are at £10.60 an hour, giving a full-time annual salary of £20,441.

These salary levels are used by employers to design their local pay grades or pay scales and there are many variations, depending on which local authority you are contracted to work in.

The offer is for a £1,925 increase to each Spinal Column Point. This is pro rata for part time and term time only workers. SCP 1 is deleted with effect from 1^st April 2023. There is also an increase of 3.88% on all allowances (as listed in the 2022 NJC pay agreement circular dated 1 November 2022 – listed above).

If you receive Universal Credit, your benefits may be impacted. You may wish to contact your local benefits office for support and advice.

Note: these are GMB estimates based on the published pay spines. There may be very small differences with the final figures produced by the LGA. This is due to rounding effects.

Cash change in annual earnings (FTE)

(Calculated on a full time, 37 hour week salary)

Cash change in hourly earnings

(Calculated on a full time, 37 hour week salary.

These tables are GMB estimates based on the standard Green Book calculations. The final spines when published by the employers may vary slightly due to rounding effects.

Cash change in allowances

(GMB estimated increases)

• GREEN BOOK: Part 3, Para 2.6(e) Sleeping-in Duty Payment

• PURPLE BOOK (Former APT&C Agreement):

• Para 28(3) Nursery Staff in Educational Establishments – Special Educational Needs Allowance

• Para 28(14) Laboratory / Workshop Technicians:

** City & Guilds Science Laboratory Technicians Certificate Allowance

** City & Guilds Laboratory Technicians Advance Certificate Allowance

• Para 32 London Weighting and Fringe Area Allowance (Inner & Outer Fringe Area) (per annum)

• Para 35 Standby Duty Allowance – Social Workers (1)(a)(i) Allowance (per session)

• WHITE BOOK (Former Manual Worker Agreement):

• Section 1, Para 3 London and Fringe Area Allowances (Inner & Outer) (per annum)

Your pay should be increased in line with your Full Time Equivalent Spinal Column Point on a pro-rata basis, in a way that is no less favorable than the treatment of full time workers.

Under the NJC agreement, ‘part time employees shall have applied to them the pay and conditions of service pro-rata to comparable full time employees in the same authority’ (8.1).

The exact changes to your salary will depend on the annualisation formula that your employer uses. These formulas can vary depending on where your employer is based. For more details on this please consult your GMB Representative.

GMB is committed to working through the NJC to agree a more standardised approach to calculating term time only pay and leave entitlements, which could be applied at a local level.

Below is a formula which may assist you in calculating an approximate amount for what the increase means to you:

Formula: New Annual Salary / 52.143 weeks = Full Time Equivalent Rate (FTE)

FTE x number of weeks paid for = New Annual Salary (NEW)

NEW / 12 months = New Monthly Salary

Example SCP8 Teaching Assistant:

24,702 / 52.143 = £473.74 x 38 (weeks) = £18,001.96 / 12 = £1,500.16 Approximate new monthly pay, before tax and national insurance.

The increase is applied to your salary for each job.

The increase will apply to your basic pay. It is up to your employer, but they may adjust the offer. Please seek support from your union rep if this is the case.

The increase will apply to your basic pay. It is up to your employer, but they may adjust the offer. Please seek support from your union rep if this is the case.

Pay increases are pensionable (and subject to National Insurance and tax).

The current Local Government Pension Scheme thresholds are:

Anyone who left before April 2023, i.e. before any of these proposals would become effective, would not receive the increase. A new starter would get whatever is applicable from the day they join.

Whether on maternity leave, adoption leave, parental leave or sick leave, the increases will apply to basic pay (and allowances where applicable). However, they are not paid to anyone on a career break.

There will be no additional central funding for this pay offer. Local councils, employers and schools will have to implement the pay offer (if accepted) out of existing budgets. GMB is lobbying Government for additional funding to cover local government and schools pay.

At a time, when the cost of living continues to increase significantly for all of us, this pay offer is a real terms pay cut. This offer is also made without central funding from Government which means the financial responsibility will fall to local councils, employers and schools.

GMBs National Local Government and Schools Committee’s consists of elected representatives from all GMB Regions. They have considered the pay offer in detail and believe that this pay offer falls short of our expectations at this time and agreed to recommend rejection of the pay offer.

GMB members were given the opportunity to vote to either accept the offer, or reject and express an interest to potentially participate in future industrial action in a consultative ballot of members.

The disaggregated GMB Consultative Ballot of members on NJC Pay 2023/24 working in Schools and Local Authorities delivered very different results across GMB regions and workplaces. GMB is now moving to formal ballots for industrial action in some areas. Trade union laws require a majority of members included in these ballots to return their ballot papers, and voting to reject the pay offer, before we can consider any form of industrial action.

GMB Regions have considered the results from the consultative ballot and identified target areas of the membership for inclusion in the formal ballot for industrial action. In other areas, GMB will be working with members on local campaigns of importance to them. You should have received communication direct from your local GMB team to advise you on what the next steps in this campaign mean for you. If you have not received any communication as yet, please contact your local GMB Office or Representative.

GMBs formal ballots for industrial action will open on Tuesday 12^th September 2023 and close on Tuesday 24^th October 2023.

GMBs National Local Government and Schools Committees agreed a timeline that would allow us time to speak to as many GMB members as possible about the ballot before it opens. We feel it is important that every member has the opportunity to understand the process and get active in the campaign.

Trade unions always try to resolve disputes through negotiation, however if this doesn’t work industrial action may be needed as a last resort. Industrial action is the withdrawal of your labour.

In Britain the right to strike is governed by complex and restrictive industrial action laws. In summary, to count as “protected industrial action” a strike must:

• Relate to a work dispute with your own employer.
• Be supported by a valid secret postal ballot with independent scrutiny, in which at least half of the balloted workers have voted. (Not voting counts as a vote against the strike)
• Be carried out with notice

Trade union laws required industrial action ballots to be carried out using the postal system only and must be conducted by an independent scrutineer. GMB will appoint Civica to act for us as an independent scrutineer to oversee the production and distribution of the balloting process and ensure that the returns are accurately recorded and counted. Keep an eye out for the Orange ballot paper landing on your doorstep – and when it arrives, open it, vote, and return immediately using the pre-paid envelope and posting it in your nearest postbox.

When the ballot closes we are required by law to notify you and your employer of the results as soon as possible. If we have secured a mandate for action and want to take industrial action, we are required by law to give at least 2 weeks’ notice of that action to your employer. Therefore, it is likely that any industrial action will take place at some point in November 2023.

The ballot paper will only ask one question which is “Are you prepared to take part in strike action”. Therefore, full strike action will be taken which is the full withdrawal of your labour. The number of days of strike action will be determined after the result of the ballot.

The GMB have made it clear that we want a negotiated settlement. Any improved offer will be put to members and if accepted, strike action would be cancelled.

You will need to be a GMB member to receive the same legal protection as your colleagues in your workplace and join the action. You can join the GMB online at www.gmb.org.uk/join

Join today at www.gmb.org.uk. Once you have joined, contact your local GMB office/branch for more information and support.

Would you like information on becoming a GMB Representative in your workplace? Email PublicServices@gmb.org.uk