LOCAL GOVERNMENT CRAFT WORKERS PAY 2024 – GMB ACCEPT THE OFFER
Posted on:
GMB submitted its pay claim for Local Government Craft Workers in March. In response the National Employers made the following, full and final one-year (1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025) offer in respect of those employees whose pay is determined by contractual reference to the Craft JNC National Agreement (‘Red Book’):
“For all Craft JNC employees (regardless of job title and designation) whose rate of pay differs from the salaries set out in the Craft JNC 2023 pay agreement circular (dated 16 November 2023), but is still contractually linked to the annual settlement reached by the Craft JNC, the Employers’ final offer is as follows:
With effect from 1 April 2024, an increase of £1,290 on basic salary
With effect from 1 April 2024, an increase of 2.50 per cent on all allowances (as listed in the 2022 JNC pay agreement circular dated 16 November 2023)
For those few Craft employees who are paid the specific annual salaries as set out in the Craft JNC 2022 pay agreement, the Employers’ full and final offer is as follows:
With effect from 1 April 2024:
£1,290 on Building Labourer grade (equivalent to SCP2 on the NJC spine)
£1,290 on Heating & Ventilation Mate grade (equivalent to SCP3 on the NJC spine)
£1,290 on Building Operative grade (equivalent to SCP3 on the NJC spine)
£1,290 on Plumber grade (equivalent to SCP4 on the NJC spine)
£1,290 on Engineer & Electrician grade (equivalent to SCP5 on the NJC spine), and
2.5% on all allowances
These increases would continue the principle agreed by the JNC in the 2016-18 agreement to align the five Craft Grades to current pay points 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively on the NJC ‘Green Book’ pay spine.”
Other elements of the claim - a reduction in the working week to 35 hrs (34 in London), an increase in annual leave and payment for the use of technology - were rejected by the employer
Despite members initially rejecting the offer in an indicative ballot, further discussions and meetings with members and reps at our respective craft worker depots made it clear that there was no majority view to pursue the matter to a formal industrial action ballot at this stage.
We have therefore advised the employers of our acceptance of the offer.