Written by Admin | 2 Nov 2023
Summary
A collective agreement has now been reached concerning the support staff pay award for 2023/24. On 1 November 2023, a collective agreement was reached between the National Employers and two of the three support staff trade unions in relation to the Local Government pay award, which applies to non-teaching staff in schools. For the third consecutive year, Unite has refused to be included in the collective agreement, therefore the pay deal has been reached with Unison and GMB. Due to the constitutional requirements still being met, the pay award can now be implemented. The pay award applicable to those employers that follow the National Joint Council (NJC) pay scales, effective from 1 April 2023, is:
- an increase of £1,925 (pro rata for part-time employees) to be paid as a consolidated, permanent addition on all NJC pay points 2 to 43 inclusive
- an increase of 3.88% on all pay points above the maximum of the pay spine, but graded below deputy chief officer (in accordance with Green Book Part 2 Para 5.43)
- an increase of 3.88% on all allowances (as listed in the 2022 NJC pay agreement circular dated 1 November 2022).
Greater London Provincial Council (GLPC)
The London Agreement specifies that inner and outer London pay spines will be amended each year in line with the same methodology approach and key principles of the agreement reached at the NJC. The pay award applicable to those employers that follow the GLPC pay scales, effective 1 April 2023, is:
- an increase of £2,226 on Outer London pay points up to and including spine point 48
- an increase of £2,352 on Inner London pay points up to and including spine point 50
- an increase of 3.88% on all points above these pay points
- an increase of 3.88% on all allowances, including overtime rates.
How to notify EPM of pay award decision (for EPM HR Admin or Payroll customers)
If you are a maintained school, rather than a standalone academy or part of a multi-academy trust, you should wait until the LA share their decision on how they will implement the pay award (none should be paying less than the agreed increase; however, some may choose to pay more at different points). Please ensure you have the appropriate governor/trustee approval before submitting your instruction via the EPM Portal. If you instruct us to apply the pay award before receiving approval, and we need to further amend or reverse the application, administration fees will apply. If you are part of a trust and pay decisions are made at trust level, the survey on the EPM Portal should be completed by the central trust contact and doesn't need to be completed at school level. The authorised person at the Trust should complete the form for all schools and central trust staff, where applicable.
Deadlines for notification
If your pay date for the month of application is up to and including the 20th of the month, we require the decision no later than the 21st of the month prior to implementation. If your pay date is the 21st to the end of the month, the deadline for notifying EPM of your decision(s) will be the 1st of the month for it to be applied.
Important update:
We are aware that many schools bring forward their pay date for December. Therefore, for any pay awards to be applied in the December payroll, we must receive your instruction
no later than 21 November 2023.
Please note: The deadlines for implementation in the January payroll are unchanged:
- For those with a pay date for that month up to and including the 20th of the month, the deadline for notifying EPM of your decision(s) is 21 December 2023
- For those with a pay date from the 21st to the end of the month, the deadline for notifying EPM of your decision(s) is the 1 January 2024.
Please do not confirm to staff when they can expect to receive the pay award in their salary until we have confirmed to you the month it will be applied. To ensure we can implement the pay award for the relevant month, please input and authorise the payroll for the preceding month at the earliest opportunity to allow adequate time to apply your decision and update your salaries as required.
Updates to your contractual allowances
We will automatically update the allowances you have instructed us to be categorised as ‘subject to pay award’.
Payroll-only clients will need to directly enter any changes to calculated allowances (such as contractual overtime and salary protection) through the amend appointment option via the portal.
Consider the timing of any performance-related increments
Consider the timing of your performance-based increments (if applicable) in addition to the pay award for staff to streamline the application and processing of back pay.
Supporting information required
Please note that if you follow locally agreed pay scales, whilst we may have your decision submitted, we may not be able to apply the pay award until these rates are confirmed. If you receive the rates directly, please forward them to
payaward2023@epm.co.uk to minimise delays. To clarify,
we must receive your survey instruction AND any locally applied pay scales (if required) by the above deadline to apply your pay award in the relevant months’ payroll.
Universal Credit and back pay
When back pay for several months is paid to individuals in receipt of Universal Credit, we are aware that this can cause changes to payments for those individuals in the following month. We know that some individuals and trade unions have asked for back pay payments to be staggered to reduce the impact on Universal Credit payments. The LGA’s position on this is that it is not possible to provide national guidance on this as Universal Credit is a specific issue which applies to different people in different ways. If you have employees concerned about the impact of back pay on Universal Credit, you should advise that they speak to their Universal Credit Work Coach via their online account or call the Universal Credit Helpline on 0800 328 5644.
Useful links
NJC Circular
GLPC Circular
Communication
If you have any queries on the application of your instruction, contact us at
payaward2023@epm.co.uk. Please clearly state your Trust name or EPM school reference number in the subject line and whether the query relates to support or teachers’ pay award implementation.