Unions call for significant pay rise for youth workers

Unite's Doug Nicholls, secretary for the panel of youth work staff representatives on the committee, branded the claim as "the most important JNC pay submission for a generation".

"Ofsted has demonstrated the rising standards of youth work. Various recent government and local government reports have described its unique impact in dealing with many of the problems caused by the recent economic crisis," he said. "But employers have been content to ignore these factors and let the value of wages fall."

In September youth work becomes a graduate entry profession, yet the minimum JNC starting salary for youth work graduates is at least £3,000 below the average graduate starting salary in 2007.

"Youth and community workers have suffered pay cut after pay cut, following years of below-inflation pay awards," said Gill Archer, Unison's national officer for youth services. "We know that councils can afford an increase. It's time that they started to value their staff and the essential services they provide to youth people and not use the economic downturn as a smokescreen."

The pay claim calls for five key changes:

• A substantial rise on all pay grades and allowances for the year 2010/11
• A joint comparative review of all London and area allowances to be completed by December 2010
• The introduction of an on-call allowance and a late night allowance as of September 2010
• A joint working party to establish a joint job security agreement
• A joint agreement to promote long-term funding arrangements for voluntary sector projects

Local authority and voluntary sector employers will be consulting on the claim over the next two months prior to meeting the unions on 17 June.