2025 pay claim
The NJC Support Staff unions submitted their pay claim for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 on 31 January 2025.
The claim is for the following:
- An increase of at least £3,000 across all NJC spinal column points.
In addition:
- A clear plan to reach a minimum pay rate of £15 an hour.
- One extra day of annual leave for all staff.
- A reduction in the working week by two hours, with no loss of pay.
- The ability for school staff to take [at least] one day of their annual leave during term time, with no loss of pay.
You can read the full claim
here.
The National Employers are carrying out stakeholder consultation during February and March.
NJC Support Staff Pay Award 2025/26
2025 pay offer
On 22 April, the National Employers responded to the pay claim with a full and final offer:
- With effect from 1 April 2025, an increase of 3.20 per cent to be paid as a consolidated, permanent addition on all NJC pay points 2 to 43 inclusive and 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 5.4).
- With effect from 1 April 2025 an increase of 3.20 per cent on all allowances (as listed in the 2024 NJC pay agreement circular dated 22 October 2024).
- With effect from 1 April 2026, the deletion of pay point 2 from the NJC pay spine.
Other elements of the pay claim were rejected. You can read the full offer letter
here. The NJC unions will now meet to discuss the offer before consulting members.
Further updates will be provided in due course.
July 2025
The NJC unions, GMB, Unison and Unite, all balloted their members with a recommendation to reject the National Employer’s offer of a 3.2% increase effective from 1 April 2025.
The ballots all closed on 20 June, and members from all unions voted to reject. Following the Unison ballot result, the union said it had joined GMB and Unite in writing to the employers to urge them to come back with a “better and fairer proposal”.
We will provide further updates here in due course.