UNISON, alongside our partner trade unions UNITE and GMB have reached an agreement, which sees Salford City Council become the first local authority in the North West to fully implement the national NJC pay agreement.

The agreement introduces a new pay spine on 1st April 2019. It will see all employees receive at least a 2% increase in pay, with the majority receiving more. Some of the lowest paid will receive more than a 7% uplift.

In response to the agreement, City Mayor Paul Dennett declared:
“As a Labour council, we are proud of our close working relationships with the trade unions and believe decent representation for our employees is essential for our organisation to serve the interests of the city.

“Our employees work tirelessly for the city, and have had to put up with years of budget cuts forcing them to work with less resources, in totally new ways and under a lot more pressure. It is only right and proper that we work closely with the Union to ensure their voices are heard, and they are supported as much as possible.

Councillor John Ferguson, Lead Member for Workforce added:

“This agreement has been reached as a result of joint working between the council and the trade unions with thanks to them and the officers involved for all their work to go through incredibly smoothly. We are here to support local people in Salford and make sure they have the best possible pay and conditions possible.”

Steve North, UNISON Branch Secretary and Staff Side Joint Secretary talked of the importance of the agreement and re-affirmed UNISON’s commitment to increasing the pay of its members. He added:

“These are the sort of agreements that can be delivered in a unionised workplace. I want to thank the Council for working with us to deliver a favourable outcome in a short space of time.”