Council and School Pay
Have your say on council and school pay. Join UNISON now.
Local government staff keep communities safe, clean and accessible, often for little to no recognition.
With the cost-of-living skyrocketing, it’s time to stand together and demand better pay.
Council and School Pay 2024
The National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Government Services covers the largest group of employees for collective bargaining purposes in the UK.
We asked the employers for a pay increase of £3,000 or 10%, whichever was greater. The offer of £1,290 falls far short of this.*
We consulted members on this offer, and following the strong reject vote we received, our NJC committee has decided that we will proceed with an industrial action ballot.
Voting for, and taking, industrial action will send a clear message to employers that you need a better pay rise.
We will continue to every means possible to make the employers improve their offer. Read our latest joint union letter to the employers here.
Industrial action FAQs can be found below.
Find out how the offer stacks up against our claim using our pay calculator.
*If you work part time or term time only hours, the increase would be less depending on how many hours you work. The offer will be different for members in London; in outer London, the offer is £1,491 and in inner London it’s £1,575.
Get ballot ready
Further details will become available shortly.
Make sure your details are up to date – it is crucial that we can contact you about the fight for your pay rise.
If your colleagues aren’t members of UNISON already, encourage them to join!
Downloadable resources, including leaflets and posters that can be shared in your workplace are available in the UNISON Shop:
Want to get more involved in this campaign? Contact your branch and ask about becoming a pay campaign contact where you work.
Share our graphics and videos on your channels. Make sure to use the hashtag #PayUp2024 – you can access them via our online resource library:
Supporting better pay
Here are three things you can do to build support for better pay:
- Email your councillor and ask your friends and family to do the same.
- Ask your councillors to agree a motion in support of a decent pay rise for council and school workers.
- Email your MP using our funding cuts map. Let them know why council and school workers need a proper pay rise.
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