Following confirmation of the final offer from the national employers in respect of the 2020/21 pay claim for local government and school support staff, we are currently balloting relevant branch members on whether to accept or reject the offer.

Those members for whom we hold an email address will have received an online ballot paper yesterday – please check your emails, and in particular you spam/junk folders. If we do not have an email address for you we have posted out a paper ballot paper with a freepost envelope. Postal ballot papers have been posted out yesterday and today.

If you work for a council, national park or school in North Yorkshire and do not receive a ballot paper by Wednesday 8 July please let us know using our online contact form.

We need your ballot paper returned by post, or online, no later than 3pm on Monday 10 August. The results from all local government branches will be collated and will inform the decision whether to accept or reject the offer.

This branch reluctantly believes that member should accept the offer. We note the view of UNISON’s NJC committee that this is a poor pay offer, which falls short of what members need and deserve and does not reflect their worth.

However, as this is the employer’s final offer and it represents an increase on the initial offer we believe that any further increase would only be achievable through sustained industrial action