Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Local authoritiesLatest NewsTrade unionsPay settlements

Union recommends local authority workers reject pay offer

by Jo Faragher 8 Mar 2023
by Jo Faragher 8 Mar 2023 Leeds Town Hall.
paul ridsdale/Alamy
Leeds Town Hall.
paul ridsdale/Alamy

The Unite union has urged its members who work for councils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to reject the latest local authority pay offer.

Last month, the National Joint Council for local government services made a pay offer of between 3.88% and 9.42% for the 2023/24 pay period, depending on employees’ grades.

The Council said this would mean a pay increase of at least £1,925 from 1 April 2023. For the lowest paid, their pay would increase by £4,033 over the two years since 2021.

Unite says that, given the current retail prices index (RPI) rate of inflation of 13.4%, this amounts to a local authority pay cut of almost 10% for some members.

General secretary Sharon Graham said: “Local government workers provide vital frontline services. They are now absolutely determined to fight for a pay increase that will not see their pay eroded by inflation for yet another year.

Local authority pay

Is insourcing the latest trend in public sector HR?

Public sector: How can employers compete in the war for talent?

Pay awards: Local government

“Local government employers need to enter into full pay negotiations and make a decent pay offer if industrial action is to be avoided.”

Unite argues that the current offer is “even lower” than that made to workers last year, at a time when the rate of inflation is even higher.

Graham added: “Local government workers provide vital frontline services. They are now absolutely determined to fight for a pay increase that will not see their pay eroded by inflation for yet another year.

“Local government employers need to enter into full pay negotiations and make a decent pay offer if industrial action is to be avoided.”

Unions including Unite, Unison and GMB are asking for a pay increase of RPI inflation plus 2%. They will hold further negotiations with local government employers today (8 March) in the hope of securing a “significant improvement” in the pay offer.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Announcing this year’s pay offer in February, the Council said the government employers were “acutely aware of the additional pressure this year’s offer will place on already hard-pressed council finances” but argued that the offer was fair.

HR opportunities in the public sector on Personnel Today


Browse more HR opportunities in the public sector

Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. Jo is also the author of 'Good Work, Great Technology', published in 2022 by Clink Street Publishing, charting the relationship between effective workplace technology and productive and happy employees. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

previous post
RMT suspends Network Rail strike
next post
Pregnant worker given fewer shifts was discriminated against

You may also like

Public sector workers gain pay rises of up...

22 May 2025

Pay awards in real terms could fall for...

21 May 2025

Ryanair demands flight attendants pay back salary increase

21 May 2025

NHS Scotland staff accept two-year 8.2% pay deal

16 May 2025

Nurses threaten strikes if pay demands not met

12 May 2025

Private sector median pay increases remain at 3.5%

6 May 2025

Public sector staff could be in line for...

28 Apr 2025

Confidence returning to jobs market, data shows

28 Apr 2025

What will reward look like in 2035?

28 Apr 2025

NI increase has not caused ‘knee-jerk reaction’ in...

23 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+