Church of England clergy have submitted a formal pay claim via their union Unite – for the first time in their history.
Unite represents more than 2,000 clergy and lay officers in the Church of England, and is looking for an increase of 9.5% in their annual stipend from April 2024 as the cost of living continues to bite.
The union’s Church of England Clergy & Employee Advocates (CEECA), part of Unite’s faith workers branch, has been invited to submit proposals to the CofE’s Remuneration and Conditions of Service Committee (RACSC), which advises on increases in stipends.
The CEECA has been lobbying the Church over the impact of the rising cost of living. In 2022, almost one fifth of clergy households turned to the Clergy Support Trust for financial help, it said.
According to the 2022 annual report of the Church Commissioners for England, the body that administers the assets of the CoE, it has an investment fund worth £10.3 billion which is achieving annual investment growth of 10.2% on average.
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Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Like all workers, Church of England clergy are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. While many will argue their work is a vocation, the simple truth is that on their current rewards they are among the working poor.
“The Church of England has billions in the bank and can fully afford to pay its clergy the modest increase in their stipend they are seeking. The clergy deliver a clear message for the Church of faith in the hereafter. Unite is fighting for a better deal for them in the here and now.”
Sam Maginnis, a Unite activist and vicar, said that too many clergy have had to turn to charity because they could not make ends meet.
“Clergy have been working tirelessly to support their local communities through the cost-of-living crisis: facilitating and coordinating vital services and activities, providing personal care and guidance to individuals in need, and speaking hope and a sense of togetherness in unstable and uncertain times,” he said.
“All clergy should be paid at a level that secures relief from financial hardship, promotes personal wellbeing and enables them to effectively serve and support their local communities.
“The proposed increase is necessary to start bringing pay back in line with inflation while addressing the most urgent hardship and anxiety faced by too many clergy and their families.”
He added that parishes, which tend to fund stipends, will also face their own challenges with rising inflation and retail prices.
“However, with an investment fund worth £10.3 billion, the Church Commissioners could readily provide national support to ensure all dioceses can pay their clergy in line with our proposals,” he said.
According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, nominal regular pay increased at its highest rate since the pandemic in June, but was still outstripped by inflation.
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Inflation fell to its lowest level in a year in April 2023, at 8.7%.
