DWP Group Executive Committee Rejects Pay Award 2023/24

Today (8) DWP have announced the 2023/24 pay offer for all staff in DWP. The award is in line with the Cabinet Office pay remit of 4.5% with an addition 0.5% for the lowest paid.

Despite negotiators having achieved extra money above 4.5% for the vast majority of staff in grades AA-EO, the group executive committee (GEC) has agreed to reject the offer on behalf of members in line with the union’s national policy, as it does not go far enough to reward our members or address the pay inequalities of DWP’s pay system.

2023/24 Pay Offer

The consolidated pay offer for all staff is a one-year award from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024. There is also a non-consolidated payment to cover the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, weighted in favour of the lowest paid.

The percentage offer depends on members' locations and whether or not they are part of the existing Employee Deal pay structure. Under the offer AAs will receive between 4.5 and 5%, AOs will receive between 4.5 and 6.25%, EOs will receive 4.5-4.92% and all other staff to G6 will receive 4.5%.

The Department accepted the need to re-introduce a differential between AA and AO grades, which had been wiped-out by the impact of the National Living wage increase in April. However the pay offer means that a cost-of-living increase next April may recreate the same problem of identical pay for AAs and AOs.

The DWP said they were unable to pay more to the lowest paid due to the high proportion of AO and EO members. They refused to consider looking at either paying a flat-rate cash increase across the board or limiting increases in the higher grades to boost the amount they could pay to the lowest paid.

One off £1,500 cost-of-living payment

Members in the DWP who were eligible will have received a £1,500 one off lump sum payment that was authorised by Cabinet Office at the end of July. Despite our very strong representations, DWP insisted on making this as a pro-rata payment, and also refused to offer any form of split payment which could have assisted those in receipt of benefits or repaying Student Loans.

The campaign continues

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