Frequently Asked Questions about the NJC (National Joint Council)

What is the NJC?

NJC stands for the National Joint Council for Local Government Services. It is a negotiating body made up of two sides: the Local Government Association (LGA) which represents the employers, and Local Government trade unions (UNISON, GMB and Unite) which represent the employees.

What does the NJC do?

The NJC determines agreements around pay and conditions (e.g. annual leave, sick pay, maternity, a range of allowances etc) for the majority of local government and school staff (including academies). Each year the trade unions submit a claim to the employers for a pay increase. Union members are consulted on what pay increase should be asked for and are also consulted on the offer the employer makes. The agreements they reach after negotiations are contained in the “Green Book” which is available to download.

Which unions are part of the NJC?

UNISON, GMB and Unite are the only three unions on the NJC and so are the only unions which can formally negotiate pay, terms and conditions for school staff. UNISON has over half the trade union seats on the NJC and so is the majority union.

How many workers does the NJC cover?

The NJC covers over 1.5 million local government and school workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (except where a local authority has opted out of specific provisions of the Green Book) and so is an extremely important negotiating body. It also has a wider footprint in that other organisations in the public and private sectors follow the NJC’s agreements.

Does the NJC cover workers UK-wide?

The NJC covers council and school workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a few exceptions where employers have opted out (see below). In Scotland the equivalent body is the SJC, the Scottish Joint Council.

Do all schools follow the NJC agreements?

Whilst the overwhelming majority of schools do follow NJC agreements, some local authorities with responsibility for schools have opted out of the NJC pay bargaining arrangements and set their own pay rates e.g. Buckinghamshire, Bromley, Essex (although many Essex schools follow NJC regardless) Hampshire, Huntingdonshire, Kent, Medway, Oxfordshire and Surrey.

Some authorities have opted out of specific sections of the Green Book e.g. Hertfordshire have their own sick pay and car mileage arrangements.

Most academies and multi academy trusts honour NJC agreements, but a small minority don’t follow NJC, or only follow NJC for TUPE-transferred staff. Please check with your local UNISON branch if you are unsure.

Why does pay vary between local authorities if there is a national negotiating body?

The NJC agrees the pay spine each year. The pay spine is made up of Spinal Column Points (SCPs) which are a set of salary levels, and which increase in line with the outcome of national negotiations. The national pay spine starts at SCP 2 and ends at SCP 43. However, the agreed salary levels are used by employers to design their local pay grades or pay scales and there are many variations. This is known as the ‘grading structure’ and is negotiated by UNISON with the employer locally. This means the exact SCP a specific role is placed on can vary between employers.

An employee’s contract should state their rate of pay, the SCP on the local government pay scale that refers to, and how the rate will increase on an incremental basis to a certain point.

For more information on which staff UNISON support and represent please go here.