Local Government Craft Workers Pay 2024
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GMB submitted its pay claim for Local Government Craft Workers in March. In response the National Employers have made the following, full and final one-year (1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025) offer in respect of those employees whose pay is determined by contractual reference to the Craft JNC National Agreement (‘Red Book’), as follows:
“For all Craft JNC employees (regardless of job title and designation) whose rate of pay differs from the salaries set out in the Craft JNC 2023 pay agreement circular (dated 16 November 2023), but is still contractually linked to the annual settlement reached by the Craft JNC, the Employers’ final offer is as follows:
- With effect from 1 April 2024, an increase of £1,290 on basic salary
- With effect from 1 April 2024, an increase of 2.50 per cent on all allowances (as listed in the 2022 JNC pay agreement circular dated 16 November 2023)
For those few Craft employees who are paid the specific annual salaries as set out in the Craft JNC 2022 pay agreement, the Employers’ full and final offer is as follows:
With effect from 1 April 2024:
- £1,290 on Building Labourer grade (equivalent to SCP2 on the NJC spine)
- £1,290 on Heating & Ventilation Mate grade (equivalent to SCP3 on the NJC spine)
- £1,290 on Building Operative grade (equivalent to SCP3 on the NJC spine)
- £1,290 on Plumber grade (equivalent to SCP4 on the NJC spine)
- £1,290 on Engineer & Electrician grade (equivalent to SCP5 on the NJC spine), and
- 2.5% on all allowances
These increases would continue the principle agreed by the JNC in the 2016-18 agreement to align the five Craft Grades to current pay points 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively on the NJC ‘Green Book’ pay spine.”
Other elements of the claim:
Working week (A reduction to 35 hrs (34 in London))
The Employers rejected this element of the claim stating that such a reduction would be out of line with norms in local government and would result in an increase in costs that would adversely affect local authority services.
Increase in Annual leave
The Employers have rejected this element of the claim stating that all Craft employees currently receive a minimum of 22 days’ leave, plus two extra statutory days, with a further four days after five years’ service (28 days). This is equitable to NJC employees’ minimum annual leave entitlement of 28 days (after five years’ service). Many councils have a more generous basic leave entitlement for both groups of employees.
Tool Allowance and Tool Insurance
The Employers’ offer is set out above i.e. that tool allowance is increased by 2.5% with effect from 1 April 2024. Similarly, in relation to tool insurance, the Employers’ offer is that it is increased by 2.5% with effect from 1 April 2024.
Use of Technology
The Employers consider the use of technology to be an increasingly common practice in the modern workplace that does not merit additional recompense nor a new national agreement. Therefore, the Employers reject this element of the claim.
GMB will commence consultation on this offer as soon as practicable