Dear Principal/Chief Executive,
National Joint Council (NJC) Teachers’ Pay 2024/25
We write on behalf of the National Joint Council (NJC) Committee for Teaching Staff in sixth form colleges, to confirm agreement has been reached on a joint statement.
As you know the Government decided in the summer to provide an additional funded increase to National Joint Council (NJC) teachers’ pay for 2024/25 to sixth form colleges which have become 16-19 academies, while denying it to the 38 institutions that remain designated sixth form colleges. This has had a negative impact on the NJC pay negotiations within the sector this year and has made it much more difficult to conclude an agreement, because some colleges have received a funding uplift for an improved pay award, while others have not. SFCA (Employers’ Side) challenged the government’s decision, bringing a claim for a Judicial Review. The NJC Staff Side (Trade Union Side) undertook industrial action and strike ballots in colleges. The joint statement is as follows:
“Additional funding for an improved pay award was secured through actions of the NJC constituent bodies, and the Employers' Side believes that firm reassurances have been given from Government that this differential treatment will not be repeated beyond this year. The NJC Staff Side and the Employers’ Side acknowledge the respective positions of each side, but both sides are in agreement that differential pay offers will not be put forward in future years, with a single date for pay settlement. All parties are, of course, keen to recognise and reward the hard-work and dedication of teachers in the sixth form college sector and to implement a pay increase for 2024/2025.
In recognition of this year’s particular and difficult circumstances caused by the Government’s initial decision to provide pay funding for some NJC colleges and not others, and then to offer only a partial funding uplift, the NJC is recommending that colleges uprate teachers’ pay, in line with the offer made by the Employers’ Side. Please see attached a copy of the revised teachers’ pay rates which should be implemented with immediate effect and backdated to the 1st September 2024, as appropriate.
For clarity, this is not an acceptance of the Employers’ Side offer by the teacher unions and both sides acknowledge that the NJC teacher unions’ respective disputes with the Secretary of State for a fully funded pay increase, and with college employers, are ongoing. The NJC Employers’ Side will continue to support SFCA’s efforts in lobbying the government for improved funding for the sector, that may in time enable the NJC to revisit pay for 2024/25. An extraordinary NJC meeting will take place in the event of any forthcoming announcements of additional and sufficient funding for the 38 sixth form colleges.
The Staff Side and the Employers’ Side remain fully committed to the NJC pay and terms and conditions (Red Book) and national collective bargaining process for all teachers working within the sixth form sector. “
The NASUWT has reserved its position on this joint statement.
Yours sincerely
Graham Baird
Darren O’Grady
NJC Joint Secretaries