We have been advised of the NJC unions positions in response to the Employers final offer. The GMB and UNISON are conducting a ballot of their members, without any recommendation, with a return date of end of July for a response. The Unite union is similarly consulting its members, with a recommendation to reject the
A revised offer has been tabled by the Local Government employers to the Unions. This is for: A 2.75% increase from 1st April 2020 An additional day’s leave, which would increase the minimum entitlement to 22 days The Unions have said that they are very disappointed that this still falls short of their claim and
National Living Wage As well as there being an increase applied, the Government has set out what is called its “ambitious plan” to have the National Living Wage at two thirds (66%) of the median earnings rather than 60% as now. They also intend to extend the National Living Wage to workers aged 21 and
HMRC have announced that the maximum ‘homeworking allowance’, which may be paid tax free to employees who are required to work from home to recognise the additional costs they incur, will be increased from £4 per week to £6 per week as from April 2020. There is no other change to the tax rules on
A UK-wide public information campaign has been launched to advise the public how to slow the spread of the virus and reduce the impact on NHS services. Government advice is being updated regularly and Public Health England is addressing common concerns on its blog. The Local Government Association has created a webpage that gives useful
Following a meeting yesterday (Wednesday 5th February) of the employers side of the NJC and the trade unions, an offer was tabled for an increase of 2% on all Scale Points, from 1 April 2020. This would add £364 million to the payroll in the year 2020/2021. This was rejected by the unions and another
Parental bereavement legislation will be introduced in April this year, whereby up to two week’s leave will be implemented for the working parents who suffer the loss of a child. This applies to children under the age of 18, or for a still birth from 24 weeks of pregnancy. This policy will be applied irrespective
The National Living Wage will increase by 6.2% in what the Government has said is the “biggest cash increase ever”. The increase is four times the current rate of inflation. From April 2020 the revised rates will be: The National Living Wage for anyone aged 25 and over – £8.72 per hour – a rise
The Government is extending the reference period for determining an average weeks’ pay, from 12 weeks to 52 weeks, from 6th April 2020. This reform is intended to help employers calculate a more accurate average, and improve holiday pay for seasonal workers, who may lose out based on the current calculation. It will be important
