WE NEED MORE NJC 2022

News update: NJC pay offer 2022/23

On Monday 25 July 2022 the Employers’ Side of the National Joint Council (NJC) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, made a final pay offer to local government employees. The pay offer is a flat rate increase on all spinal column points of £1,925 to be implemented from 1 April 2022 (i.e. payment to be backdated to that date). This offer is in response to the joint union pay claim for £2,000, or RPI.

A summary of the main points of the pay offer are as follows:

• A one year pay offer, payable from 1 April 2022, for £1,925 on all pay points
• 4.04% increase on allowances
• Deletion of SCP1 from 1 April 2023. This is without prejudice to future negotiations regarding next year
• Increase of one day in annual leave for all staff from 1 April 2023
• No increase in NJC mileage rate, but the Local Government Association will be writing to HMRC to lobby them to increase their rates
• Agreement to continue term time work, discuss family leave and pay, and discuss homeworking policy
• Rejection of our claims for a covid payment, a homeworking allowance, and a reduction in the working week

The headline offer is worth 10.5% at the bottom end of the pay spine – the offer letter has a full breakdown of what it means for each spinal column point.

UNISON’s NJC Committee held an extra meeting on Friday 29 July to consider the pay offer and branches will be updated with the next steps in the pay campaign over the next couple of weeks.

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For further information and updates please click link below

https://www.unison.org.uk/our-campaigns/fair-pay-now-council-school-workers/

Lighthouse Unison Money Talk Newsletter March 2021

The latest newsletter contains the following articles:

• Prioritise your emotional well-being
• Help to buy scheme extended
• Child trust funds come of age
• Your mortgage matters – don’t put your head in the sand
• Retirement focus – more important now than ever whatever your age

Well worth a read –

lighthouse-unison-money-talk-newsletter-march-2021-1Download

Unison achieves victory on exit payments

Unison has achieved victory in the campaign to scrap the cap on exit payments at £95,000.

The Government has now abandoned the changes as they meant moderately paid staff could have been affected, especially those over 55 taking redundancy.

Read more on the unison national web site – https://www.unison.org.uk/news/article/2021/02/blog-unison-delivers-stunning-blow-exit-payments/

 

Lighthouse Financial Services Newsletter November 2020

The latest edition includes:

• Keeping on track for your retirement
• Protecting your family’s future through estate planning
• Covid 19 – the ultimate financial stress test

Well worth a read –

lfa-unison-money-talk-newsletter-nov-2020Download

Unison National Campaign About Need For More Council Funding

 

UNISON have launched a video about the urgent need for more council funding.  It has had over one million views and that it has led to a couple of thousand people writing to their MP about the issue via this link. 

Link to video: https://www.facebook.com/unisontheunion/videos/vb.190330747706140/631192307831564/?type=3&theater

Link to write to MP’s: https://action.unison.org.uk/page/65995/action/1

Department for Education Coronavirus Help Line

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The Department for Education Coronavirus helpline is available to answer questions about COVID-19 relating to education and children’s social care. Staff, parents and young people can contact this helpline as follows:

Phone: 0800 046 8687

Opening hours: 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday

If you work in a school, please have your unique reference number (URN or UK PRN) available when calling the hotline.​

Unison Guidance For Members Affected By Coronavirus

The latest information is available from the unison national website at the following link:

https://www. unison.org.uk/coronavirus-rights-work

Unison Branch Executive Committee – Vacant Posts

The branch has a number of vacancies for officers to sit on its Executive Committee which meets 11 times a year.

These include:

• Women’s Officer
• Recruitment Secretary
• Education Secretary
• Welfare Secretary
• International Relations Officer
• Black Members Officer
• Auditor
• Steward and health & Safety Reps

Further details on each post and who to contact for further information are available on the latest bulletin- March 2020

Joint Trade Budget Update – 28 February 2020

A thank you from your joint trade union representatives

You have worked to achieve something that has never been achieved before.

You may be aware that at yesterdays Full Council meeting the budget proposals for 2020/21 were VOTED DOWN.  This was an unprecedented decision for the council striking a significant blow to the proposals, as part of that budget attacked your hard fought for terms and conditions of employment.

If the budget had been approved this may well have led to significant financial difficulties for many of our hard working low paid members many of whom have dedicated their whole working lives to the service of the citizens of Stoke on Trent and quite possibly pushing them in to poverty.

We could not have achieved this victory without your unwavering support in the face of significant opposition. By standing together shoulder to shoulder you’ve demonstrated what you can achieve by being united. You sent a clear message through our recent meetings and by attending both last weeks Cabinet and yesterdays Full Council meetings that you were not going to accept changes that made you, your families and your colleagues poorer.

So what next? There will be another Full Council meeting on Friday 6^th March. We will be hoping that they remove the terms and conditions line altogether, however we don’t know what will happen as we have never been in this situation before. We will of course continue to keep you updated as soon as we are able.

But for now a massive heartfelt CONGRATULATIONS to you all for what you’ve achieved. You should be immensely proud of yourselves by standing together in solidarity.

Lighthouse Financial Advice Newsletter Spring 2020

Information in this edition includes:

• Act now before it is too late to use your allowances
• Make tax optimisation a family affair
• Savings plans for people with low or moderate incomes
• A brighter financial future for Melanie and her children

LFA MoneyTalk End of tax year – UNISON Spring 2020