Napo and UNISON have this week formally submitted the joint trade union Pay claim for the 2023/24 pay year effective from 1st April.
At yesterday’s Partnership meeting between the unions and senior Cafcass management, we were able to provide an overview of the claim, the continuing circumstances that our members face in the current economic climate and the disparity between pay in the wider social sector and that being received by members.
What we are seeking
- An award to cover the 2023-2024 pay year.
- An increase in the value of all pay points of 3% above the Retail Prices Index (RPI) of inflation as forecast for 1 April 2023 11.1%
- Annual retention payments
- Cafcass to be removed from the civil service pay remit guidance or consideration of benefits that are available for Civil Servants e.g., civil service pension, bonuses for good work, working at home and car user allowances.
- A Strategic Pay Review following the creation of the new case management supervision structure
- An increase in the value of all Cafcass cash allowances of 3% above the Retail Prices Index (RPI) of inflation on 1 April 2023.
- A further review of mileage rates to ensure that it accurately reflects the January and (expected) July 2023 HMRC review.
The claim in full can be found here CAFCASS TRADE UNIONS JOINT PAY CLAIM 2023 2024 FINAL Napo draft v2 (002)
What happens next ?
The claim coincides with the release of the Civil Service pay remit for 2023/2024 , which sets out the process for employers to secure a funding ceiling of 5% for pay settlements, However, there is no guarantee at this stage that Cafcass will meet the stringent requirements to achieve this, and secondly 5% is well short of the pay claim which, as can be seen, is related to the current rate of inflation and the need to secure a restorative pay rise for our respective members.
The employer will be assessing the pay claim and studying the detailed pay remit process and will be in touch shortly to agree a timetable for negotiations to take place during May and June.
Please look out for more news as soon as it becomes available.
4 Responses
Cafcass need to agree significant pay rise to ensure that it can retain experienced, competent and professional staff.
Cafcass need to acknowledge that we are being ‘left behind’ in relation to other social workers and it is not an attractive place to come.
The ‘real pay’ has significantly decreased over the years and continues to do so.
Cafcass will be unable to address staffing shortages and retain staff without addressing the issue of pay.
Despite being a service manager, I find myself struggling at times financially. I am the only earner in my family and have a lot of outgoings. I am very tempted to leave Cafcass for a less stressful post with better pay
The rising cost of living and the increasing workloads are really impacting on my mental health. I don’t feel valued by the Government for the work that I do. The stress of the job and very poor pay is making me feel that I should leave and go back and work for the Local Authority. Pay reflects how valued you feel and the pay just simply not cover the bills.
The impact of the poor wages gets harder each month.
It’s hard to meet the costs of doing the job in terms of fuel and car parking expenses . Although we can claim the money back the following month the initial outlay of these expenses has become a huge financial burden. It is disheartening that there is no reward for developing experience and skill in the job as an FCA (in the way that the local authority would reward a senior social worker) , not everyone wants to move into a management role