EMP circular 5/22 - Pay offer, template letter, FAQs and media statement

Local Government Association,

18 Smith Square, Westminster,

London, SW1P 3HZ

Telephone 020 7187 7335

e-mail: [email protected]

Employers’ Secretary, Naomi Cooke

Direct Dial: 020 7187 7335

Website: www.local.gov.uk/

FIRE & RESCUE SERVICES

National Employers

To: Chief Fire Officers

Chief Executives/Clerks to Fire Authorities

Chairs of Fire Authorities

Directors of Human Resources

CC: Members of the Employers’ Side of the NJC

13 October 2022

Circular EMP 5/22

Pay Offer - Template letter, FAQs and media statement

1. You will be aware that the National Employers made a revised pay offer to the employees’ side of the NJC on 4 October.

2. The revised offer was for a 5 per cent uplift on basic pay and continual professional development payments, effective from 1 July 2022.

3. To support conversations with employees and/or the media around this, the National Employers has worked with its cross-organisation group of media specialists drawn from the LGA, WLGA, Scottish Fire & Rescue Service and the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service to create the following documents, the content of which you may wish to consider in any internal communications with your workforce:

• Updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Template employee letter

4. For ease of reference, the updated reactive media statement, circulated on 6 October 2022 is also attached.

5. The contents of these documents will be kept under review and updated as and when appropriate.

Yours faithfully,

Gill Gittins

Assistant Employers’ Secretary

National Joint Council for Local Authority Fire and Rescue Services Pay Offer for 2022 Frequently Asked Questions

Firefighters have been offered a pay increase of 5 per cent effective from 1 July 2022 by the National Employers, who negotiate pay on behalf of all Fire & Rescue Services across the UK.

The offer is based on achieving a balance in providing a pay rise for hardworking and valued employees while also protecting critical services and jobs. It also applies to continual professional development payments and would be backdated to 1 July 2022.

The offer is not conditional on any other changes to the firefighter role. In addition, the National Employers has indicated a willingness to explore all the other points in the claim including the continual professional development scheme, the retained duty system, control staff (differentials) and continuing discussions on new roles and pay progression.

The National Employers remain committed to ensuring the challenges facing fire and rescue services are fully understood and properly resourced, with the aim of securing longer term investment to ensure the protection of communities and recognising the role firefighters play within this.

FAQs

How many employees does the National Joint Council cover and what is its remit?

The National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Authority Fire & Rescue Services is the joint employer and employee representative body that sets the pay, terms and conditions framework for approximately 48,500 uniformed employees in the Fire Service across the UK, including firefighters and control staff but not including senior management posts.

When did operational staff last receive a pay increase and how much was this?

Operational staff were awarded a 1.5 per cent increase, effective from 1 July 2021.

What is the basic rate of pay for a Firefighter?

This offer applies firefighters and other uniformed roles including middle managers. Current basic salaries range from £32,244 to £61,667. The current basic rate of pay for a full-time Firefighter at ‘competent’ level is £32, 244. The current offer of five per cent would bring this to £33,856.

The offer also applies up to the role of Area Manager, currently £61,667, which will rise to £64,750 once the five percent increase is applied.

What is the current pay offer?

The most the National Employers can afford to offer is 5 per cent. The offer is not conditional on any other changes to role.

This offer is an improvement on the previous offer and for many fire and rescue authorities it will already be very challenging this year. The same will be true for others in future years as reserves cannot cover pay costs indefinitely. Therefore, it is the highest offer that can be made.

The National Employers is also happy to further explore the other points raised in the claim.

In the longer term, the National Employers remain committed to developing a deal through increased investment and resolution of funding matters across the UK, which can reflect the role the fire and rescue service has, and can have, in supporting communities. It is important that both sides of the NJC remain fully engaged in achieving that outcome and the National Employers welcome the continued commitment to those discussions set out in the Fire Brigades Union pay claim letter.

Why isn’t the offer higher?

We recognise the claim is for an ‘immediate and significant’ pay rise referring to falling real wages and a number of other matters - pay progression, potential new roles, retained firefighters, control staff and continual professional development payments. Consultation directly with fire and rescue authority Chairs, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners and Chief Fire Officers has informed the employers’ position on pay for 2022.

Aside from the five percent pay offer; the National Employers has indicated it is content to explore further all of the additional points.

For nearly all fire and rescue services this pay award must be met from within existing fire service budgets, for many to achieve this, it will require the use of reserves.

Staff costs are by far the largest expense for any fire and rescue service and therefore their ability to reconfigure spending to allow for a larger increase is extremely limited. A balance must also be sought between rewarding firefighters and protecting services to the community and jobs.

We absolutely recognise the contribution that firefighters make to keeping our communities safe – including throughout the COVID-19 pandemic – and if we could pay more, we would. However, at the end of the day it comes down to affordability. The figure of 5 per cent will be challenging for fire and rescue services and is the maximum offer that can be made

When will the offer be awarded?

If the offer is accepted now, it will apply immediately and be backdated to 1 July 2022.

Firefighters played a significant role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, shouldn’t that be recognised?

We very much recognise and appreciate how firefighters have been supporting communities in a range of ways through the COVID-19 crisis. Cllr Nick Chard, Chair of the National Employers, has publicly stated that our dedicated fire and rescue staff are rightly held in high regard by the public for their tireless efforts to help save lives and prevent fires. However, our budget – the money available to us – remains constrained the same as it was before the pandemic. We can only pay what we can afford from within our existing budgets, while maintaining vital emergency services to the public and protecting jobs. Staff costs are by far the largest expense for any fire and rescue service and therefore their ability to reconfigure spending to allow for a larger increase is extremely limited. The National Employers and the FBU have reaffirmed their commitment to wider role discussions. This would require sustainable and long-term investment from the governments of the UK.

Why was there such a delay between rejection of the original offer and the improved offer?

The National Employers have worked hard to argue the case for additional funding this year to support a pay award. Doing so, was the reason for the delay between the original 2 per cent offer and this final 5 per cent offer. It was not possible to secure additional funding across the UK. This means that for virtually all fire and rescue authorities the improved increase this year will have to come from existing budgets including the use of reserves that will have been earmarked for a number of projects. The figure of 5 per cent will be challenging for fire and rescue services and is the maximum offer that can be made.

We can reassure firefighters that going forward we are fully committed to continuing to seek sustainable and increased funding for fire and rescue services in future years across the UK.

What happens now?

We await a response from the employees’ side of the National Joint Council, which we hope will be positive to enable this increase to reach the pay-packets of firefighters as quickly as possible.

Template letter

Dear colleague,

As you are aware the UK National Employers for Fire & Rescue Services has made an improved pay offer of five per cent on all basic pay rates and continual professional development payments.

This offer is more in line with those now made to other public sector employees, which in the National Employers view is fair and appropriate.

Firefighters play a critical and valued role in keeping our communities safe – including throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. While the National Employers may wish to be able to offer more, we have to balance increased pay costs against the impact on service delivery and numbers employed. Running costs are also increasing for fire and rescue services and as it stands, this improved offer will be very challenging for fire and rescue services. It is therefore the highest offer that can be made.

The National Employers continued to try, between the pay offers, to secure additional funding to be able to make an improved offer without these resulting challenges. That hasn’t been achievable across the UK. This means that for virtually all fire and rescue authorities an increase this year will have to come from existing budgets, for many this will include the use of reserves that will have been previously earmarked for a number of important projects.

Going forward, the National Employers will continue to lobby for additional and long-term sustainable funding for all UK fire and rescue services to seek to address the affordability of those challenges for future years.

The claim letter also sought discussion on a number of areas all of which the National Employers has indicated it would be content to explore. This includes pay progression, the continual professional development scheme, the retained duty system, control personnel pay levels and new roles.

The Fire Brigades Union is now consulting its members on this final offer. However, they are disappointingly recommending that its members reject the offer, despite the fact it has been made clear that no higher offer can be made due to affordability.

The National Employers await a response to the offer from the employees’ side, which we hope will be positive to enable the pay increase to be paid to firefighters, backdated to 1 July 2022, as quickly as possible.

Firefighter's pay offer announced

The UK National Employers for Fire & Rescue Services has made an improved pay offer of five per cent on all basic pay rates and continual professional development payments. In doing so, the National Employers are clear that they believe this higher offer, more in line with those made to other public sector employees, is fair and appropriate. The National Employers sought additional funding in England from the Home Office but this has been refused as too has other forms of suggested future financial support. The positions in Wales and Scotland are more positive, while in Northern Ireland there is no Northern Ireland Executive in place and no confirmed budget for 2022/23.

This pay award will be very challenging for some FRAs and the National Employers will continue to lobby for additional, sustainable funding for all parts of the UK going forward. However, the National Employers decided to improve their original offer in recognition of the critical and valued role firefighters have in our communities but recognising this constitutes the maximum offer that can be made.

The National Employers note the Fire Brigades Union decision to consult its members on this final offer and hope that employees will understand this is the best offer that can be made.

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Authority Fire & Rescue Services is the joint employer and employee representative body that sets the pay, terms and conditions framework for approx. 48,500 uniformed employees in the fire service across the UK, including firefighters and control staff but not including senior management posts.
2. Employer representatives on the NJC are drawn from the Local Government Association, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Board, Welsh Local Government Association and the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Board. Employee representatives are drawn from the Fire Brigades Union.