Car allowance rates as part of our national pay negotiations

Unison and other unions were told in 2022 that the local government employers would not negotiate on car allowance rates. The employers told us this was now a local issue despite the rates being part of the Green Book. Mileage rates have not changed since 2011 and have been significantly eroded by inflation. UNISON estimate […]

Maternity pay in Local Government

A survey conducted in 2023 by Censuswide found that many young people in the UK were considering delaying or deciding not to have children. More than half cited financial reasons as the number one reason for this. Conference notes that statutory maternity leave in the United Kingdom is issued for up to 52 weeks. Local […]

Stop charging disabled members to go to work

Conference is concerned that disabled members in local government are being penalised for using their cars to travel to and from work and for work purposes. Disabled workers often have no option but to use their cars for work as public transport is either inaccessible or inappropriate for their needs. Current NJC mileage rates for […]

Erosion of T&C’s, Pay and Protection

Since the establishment of the Scottish Joint Council and National Joint Council agreements, our members have seen significant decline in their terms and conditions, pay and protection arrangements. This may also be the case in other local government bargaining areas. The decline has resulted in a post code lottery across all local authorities – this […]

Food Standards Agency – Pay, Terms & Conditions

Conference notes that our members employed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) work tirelessly to ensure the public eats safe and clean meat, dairy and seafood. Our membership is not getting any younger, so we must widen our reach to attract other roles within the Agency. Conference also notes […]

Workplace Violence

Conference notes the significant increase in workplace violence and aggression against our members, everyone has the right to a world of work free from violence and harassment, including gender-based violence. We urgently need action to strengthen legal protections, employer actions and enforcement activity to better protect workers exposed to violence and aggression. There has been […]

Demand that councils and other NJC employers recompense staff who have overpaid tax and NI due to lump-sum backpay from pay awards, and avoid future overpayments/impacts on benefits.

In the last two years in particular, pay awards have not been approved and implemented until later in the year due to struggles over pay. Therefore, months of backpay has been paid in one lump sum. For many part-time staff, this means that for that one month only, they hit the threshold to pay tax […]

Impact of OFSTED on Support Staff Must be Acknowledged

Conference, stress caused by OFSTED has featured frequently in the news over the past few years, with reports on how the pressure of OFSTED has detrimentally impacted the health and wellbeing of headteachers and teachers in schools. But sadly, the impact a visit from OFSTED has on support staff is often overlooked. When a school […]

Council Bankruptcy and its Impact on Black Workers

Conference, local councils, have a legal duty and responsibility to manage their finances in a prudent manner. Bankruptcy of a council can have severe implications for the economic stability and well-being of its employees, particularly those from marginalised communities such as Black workers; As we know, from various reports Black workers often face disproportionate challenges […]

Preventing Violence Against School Staff

Almost 14 years of austerity measures and continuing starvation of funds for public service have now taken its toll on all services which has left them with very few resources to provide the vital support all service users require and very much need. One of these services is Education. Since 2010 we have had a […]

Black Social Workers face disproportional disciplinary and capability procedures

Many social work students, felt greater discrimination on placements, stereotyped and told by supervisors their accents, attitudes and mannerism would hinder their progression. This all starts at the point that they become students. When you realise that the training is based on white middle class British population, you can understand why they feel so invisible […]

Next steps for our work on the Disability Employment Charter – a bargaining approach

Conference is proud that UNISON is one of the founding members of the Disability Employment Charter which now has over 160 organisations signed up to it, including trade unions, disabled people’s organisations, public service employers, charitable organisations and private sector employers. However, conference notes that there are still far too few local authorities signed up […]

Organising outsourced workers in the college sector

Conference believes that all public services are best delivered in public sector institutions by workers who are well-paid and respected for the jobs that they do. We know, however, that a combination of cost-cutting and marketisation in the Further Education sector has led to a proliferation of services in colleges being delivered by private contractors. […]

Improving stress levels in colleges

Conference knows that stress and mental health problems are commonplace in many modern workplaces, including in colleges. Stress makes people nearly three times as likely to leave their jobs, temporarily impairs strategic thinking and dulls creative abilities. In the 2023 UNISON Keeping in Touch survey, members reported that their number one concern was stress and […]

Further Education Pay

Conference notes that the real value of pay in Further Education (FE) colleges has fallen dramatically by around 35% in recent years. Workloads have increased dramatically as staff numbers in FE colleges have decreased and like much of the public sector FE staff are having to do more for less. Conference also notes that UNISON’s […]