Last week UNISON’s NJC Committee met to consider the outcome of the consultation on the NJC pay offer. The offer is for a pay increase of £1,290 on all NJC pay points.
Members working in schools and councils who are covered by NJC pay were asked to vote as to whether they accepted or rejected this pay offer.
The consultation result was that 80.77% of members voted to reject vote on a 29.09% turnout. In Birmingham the vote was 83.1% to reject on a 36.01% turnout.
The NJC Committee then asked regions to consult with branches on the next steps. They were provided with the full employer-by-employer breakdown of the consultation results. The NJC meeting considered the outcomes of both the member consultation on the pay offer and the feedback on next steps.
Regional feedback showed that a majority of branches were in favour of proceeding to an industrial action ballot, to be run on a disaggregate basis.
The Committee decided that this would not exclude employers based on turnout levels in the consultation nor on membership size. The NJC Committee agreed to launch an industrial action ballot on that basis, to try to secure an improved offer from the National Employers.
Preparation for the ballot has already begun, and the ballot will run from 4 September to 16 October 2024.
In Northern Ireland, members working for councils will be balloted at the same time as those in England and Wales, but members in education will have a later ballot timetable.
What about the other unions?
GMB members have voted to accept the offer. Unite members have voted to reject and they are considering their ballot strategy.
What can we do now? Get ready for the ballot!
This webpage will be the ‘hub’ for all matters relating to this industrial action ballot: unison.org.uk/fairpaynow. This website will be updated with campaign resources as they become available.
All members, wherever they work, to make sure that all of their membership data is up-to-date and correct. This is vital to run a successful ballot in your branch.
Firstly, the job titles and workplaces must be correct to ensure that the ballot is legal.
Secondly, members need to have a correct home address on RMS to ensure that their ballot papers are sent to the correct place.
Thirdly, we need members’ current email addresses and mobile phone numbers so that we can contact you with updates and reminders to vote.
Members can update their details at My UNISON | UNISON National
Please make sure that every workplace has a UNISON activist so that you receive regular updates and resources. If you would like to play this role at your workplace contact info@birminghamunison.co.uk