FE colleges and trade unions agree cost-of-living supplement and uprated Real Living Wage

Posted by GMB Admin
Thursday 1 December 2022
GMB Trade Union - FE colleges and trade unions agree cost-of-living supplement and uprated Real Living Wage

Following a request from the joint trade unions, further education colleges and trade unions in Wales have agreed to the payment of a cost-of-living supplement to support staff in FE, as well as the payment of the uprated Real Living Wage. Depending on individual staff members’ current pay arrangements, the following will apply:

Following a request from the joint trade unions, further education colleges and trade unions in Wales have agreed to the payment of a cost-of-living supplement to support staff in FE, as well as the payment of the uprated Real Living Wage.

Depending on individual staff members’ current pay arrangements, the following will apply:

1. Staff currently subject to the RLW will receive payment of the uprated value of £10.90 an hour (i.e. a 10.1% increase) before the end of December 2022, backdated to 1st August 2022. This means that all further education colleges will be implementing the increase in the Real Living Wage. Staff will continue to receive the uprated value of the RLW from January 2023 onwards. Backdating the RLW to 1st August (i.e. prior to the announcement of the uprated RLW) will need to be seen as a one-off response to an exceptional set of circumstances and not a commitment to do the same in future years.

2. Staff not subject to the RLW will receive a 5% cost-of-living ‘supplement’ before the end of December 2022, backdated to 1 August 2022. The consolidated 5% cost-of-living ‘supplement’ will be ongoing from January 2023. The supplement will be paid on a no prejudice basis: it will have no bearing on the conduct of the pay negotiations which would continue through the agreed – and separate – process. However, the cost of the supplement to employers would be offset against the level of the pay settlement, once agreed.

The payment will be made to all college staff in December 2022 and will be ongoing from January 2023 and subject to further negotiations with the joint trade unions. The agreement has been developed in the spirit of social partnership, and we will continue to work together constructively through this challenging period.

Colleges and trade unions recognise the difficulties for staff of cost-of-living pressures, and this positive action is aimed at providing temporary support. These supplementary payments are in direct response to the cost-of-living crisis and are without prejudice to the wider pay negotiation.

It is recognised that there may need to be discussion at an institution level to clarify the local impact of the agreement. Colleges and joint trade unions will meet again on 12 January 2023 to continue discussions on the ongoing pay negotiation.

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Colegau addysg bellach ac undebau llafur yn cytuno ar daliad atodol costau-byw ac uwchraddio Cyflog Byw Gwirioneddol

Yn dilyn cais gan yr undebau llafur ar y cyd, mae colegau addysg bellach ac undebau llafur yng Nghymru wedi cytuno i dalu tâl atodol costau byw i gefnogi staff mewn addysg bellach, yn ogystal â thalu’r Cyflog Byw Gwirioneddol uwch.

Yn dibynnu ar drefniadau cyflog presennol aelodau unigol o staff, bydd y canlynol yn berthnasol:

1. Bydd staff sy’n ddarostyngedig i’r Cyflog Byw Gwirioneddol ar hyn o bryd yn derbyn taliad wedi’i uwchraddio o £10.90 yr awr (h.y. cynnydd o 10.1%) cyn diwedd Rhagfyr 2022, wedi’i ôl-ddyddio i 1 Awst 2022. Mae hyn yn golygu y bydd pob coleg addysg bellach yn gweithredu’r cynnydd yn y Cyflog Byw Gwirioneddol. Bydd staff yn parhau i dderbyn gwerth uwchraddedig y Cyflog Byw Gwirioneddol o Ionawr 2023 ymlaen. Bydd angen ystyried ôl-ddyddio’r Cyflog Byw Gwirioneddol i 1 Awst (h.y. cyn cyhoeddi’r Cyflog Byw Gwirioneddol wedi’i uwchraddio) fel ymateb un-tro i sefyllfa eithriadol o amgylchiadau ac nid ymrwymiad i wneud yr un peth yn y dyfodol.

2. Bydd staff nad ydynt yn ddarostyngedig i'r Cyflog Byw Gwirioneddol yn derbyn 'taliad atodol’ costau byw o 5% cyn diwedd Rhagfyr 2022, wedi'i ôl-ddyddio i 1 Awst 2022. Bydd y 'taliad atodol' costau byw cyfunol o 5% yn parhau o Ionawr 2023. Telir y taliad atodol heb ragfarn: ni fydd yn cael unrhyw effaith ar y modd y cynhelir y trafodaethau cyflog a fyddai'n parhau drwy'r broses y cytunwyd arni – ac ar wahân. Fodd bynnag, byddai cost y taliad atodol i gyflogwyr yn cael ei osod yn erbyn lefel y setliad cyflog, unwaith y cytunir arno.

Bydd y taliad yn cael ei wneud i holl staff colegau ym mis Rhagfyr 2022 a bydd yn parhau o fis Ionawr 2023 ac yn amodol ar drafodaethau pellach gyda’r undebau llafur ar y cyd. Mae’r cytundeb wedi’i ddatblygu yn ysbryd partneriaeth gymdeithasol, a byddwn yn parhau i gydweithio’n adeiladol drwy’r cyfnod heriol hwn.

Mae colegau ac undebau llafur yn cydnabod yr anawsterau sy’n gwynebu staff o ran pwysau costau byw, a nod y gweithredu cadarnhaol hwn yw darparu cymorth dros dro. Mae’r taliadau atodol hyn mewn ymateb uniongyrchol i’r argyfwng costau byw heb ragfarn wrth negodi’n ehangach ar gyflog.

Cydnabyddir efallai y bydd angen trafodaeth ar lefel sefydliad i egluro effaith leol y cytundeb. Bydd colegau ac undebau llafur ar y cyd yn cyfarfod eto ar 12 Ionawr 2023 i barhau â thrafodaethau ar negodi tâl.

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