Church of England vicars have turn into the most recent team of workers to demand a pay rise within the face of the price of residing disaster, as Unite’s normal secretary, Sharon Graham, claimed they have been among the many “working poor”.
Greater than 2,000 clergy and lay employees represented by the union have submitted their first ever official pay declare, asking for a 9.5% rise within the annual stipend, which stands at £26,794.
The C of E’s remuneration and situations of service committee is scheduled to satisfy on Monday, and has invited Unite to make a submission about its members’ pay and situations for the primary time, after lobbying by the union.
Graham mentioned: “Like all employees, Church of England clergy are combating the price of residing disaster. Whereas many will argue their work is a vocation, the straightforward fact is that on their present rewards they’re among the many working poor.”
The stipend is funded by contributions from congregations, however Unite is asking for extra central funding to be made accessible. It factors out that the church commissioners’ funding fund, which helps the work of the church, is price greater than £10bn.
Sam Macinnes, a vicar in Horsham and a Unite activist, mentioned: “The entire precept of clergy remuneration is that you simply’re given sufficient to be in a cushty state the place you’ll be able to absolutely give your self to your ministry and help and care on your communities, which increasingly more clergy households are unable to do for the time being.
“The calls for of pastoral ministry are getting ever higher, but when individuals are worrying about whether or not they can feed and dress their households, how are they going to have the ability to give that help to others?”
Dioceses can set their very own stipends above the minimal, which was elevated by 5% in April. Vicars are additionally often given a home to stay in, although Macinnes factors out that these can typically be draughty or poorly maintained.
The remuneration committee will make a suggestion to the Archbishops’ Council, which meets in September and can then make a ultimate suggestion to the Common Synod, the church’s governing physique.
A evaluation of clergy remuneration was carried out in 2020 and 2021, and located that the general package deal – together with a home and cost of payments reminiscent of council tax – amounted to about £50,000.
“We think about that this ought to be ample for many clergy and is mostly an acceptable degree of remuneration,” the report mentioned.
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The church supplied £3m in further funds to dioceses to make hardship funds to clergy final Could, and one other £15m in October to assist church buildings with power payments.
A Church of England spokesperson mentioned: “Our clergy present unstinting non secular, pastoral and sensible help to their communities each day.
“We all know they make this enormous contribution towards a backdrop of a price of residing disaster each for them and people they minister to.
“We’re conscious of this, and of problems with affordability for dioceses, within the deliberations over the annual suggestions for the minimal and benchmark stipend ranges.”
