National Joint Council for Local Government Services

To:       Chief Executives in England, Wales & N Ireland

                        (with copies for Personnel Director & Finance Director)

                        Members of the National Joint Council

                        Provincial/Associated Joint Secretaries

                        Local Authority Associations’ Secretaries

1st September 2008

Dear Chief Executive

LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES PAY NEGOTIATIONS

The following statement has been issued today by the NJC Joint Secretaries.

“The joint statement of 24th July 2008 committed the parties to enter into negotiations “with the aim of securing an employment package which is fit for the future with positive industrial relations, high quality and efficient local services and resolves the current dispute”. Those negotiations commenced at a meeting of the NJC Joint Secretaries on 12th August. The following provides a framework for further discussions:

• The Joint Secretaries and NJC Executive aim to resolve as soon as possible the current dispute over pay for 2008/09.

• The Joint Secretaries and NJC Executive will also conduct a review of the national agreement through intensive negotiations. The objective is that by the end of December 2008 the NJC will endorse a revised national agreement which each side will have consulted on.

• The revised national agreement will include core conditions of service that bear comparison with conditions elsewhere in the public sector.

• Each element of the revised agreement will be subject to an equality impact assessment to ensure that it does not have a discriminatory impact on any group of employees.

• Negotiations on the revised agreement will be informed by data on the pay bill, workforce composition, earnings and conditions of service. The two sides will share whatever relevant data they have available (with due regard to confidentiality and avoiding reference to individual councils). Every effort will be made to ensure that the negotiations are evidence-based.

• The two sides will work together to identify ways of using general efficiency savings to improve the pay and conditions of the local government workforce.”

Joint Secretaries