Unions | LocalGov


Unite advises members to reject latest pay offer 28/04/2025 Public sector trade union Unite has advised its members to reject this year’s local government pay offer and threatened industrial action this summer.
Mediator called to settle Brum bin strike dispute 24/04/2025 Unite say a deal could be ‘in touching distance’ after agreeing to engage in talks with Birmingham City Council under the auspices of arbitration service Acas.
Council employee pay offer announced 23/04/2025 Council employees have been offered a 3.2% pay increase from 1 April 2025.
GMB: Local government workforce cut by 600,000 22/04/2025 Local authorities across England and Wales have lost almost 600,000 members of staff since 2012, a public sector union has found.
Brum pauses charges for rat infestations 22/04/2025 Birmingham City Council has temporarily waived charges for residents who require help with rat infestations during the bin strikes.
Union announces strike ballot over pay 16/04/2025 Scottish council workers are to be balloted over strike action in response to what a union has described as a ‘pitiful' pay offer.
Striking Brum bin workers reject pay offer 14/04/2025 Refuse collection workers in Birmingham have rejected the city council’s latest pay offer in long-running dispute.
Military planners sent to Brum amid bin strikes 14/04/2025 Military planners have been called in to help tackle the backlog of rubbish in Birmingham that has built up during the ongoing strike.
Angry reaction to Starmer stance on Brum bin strike 07/04/2025 A war of words has broken out between the Government and union bosses over the bin strike in Birmingham.
Brum council declares ‘major incident’ amid bin strikes 01/04/2025 Birmingham City Council has declared a major incident to address the impact of the bin strikes in a move branded by Unite as ‘disgraceful strike breaking’.
Aberdeen council accused of ‘fire and rehire’ threat 28/03/2025 Unite has accused Aberdeen City Council of threatening workers with ‘fire and rehire’ proposals as part of an industrial dispute, a claim the council denies.
Brum council threatens redundancies to end bin strike 28/03/2025 Birmingham City Council will begin a consultation on compulsory redundancies in an effort to end the bin strike, a move Unite describes as ‘bully boy tactics’.
Leaders call for tough pay negotiating stance 05/03/2025 Council leaders have warned a tough stance is needed during pay negotiations as local government struggles to meet union demands.
Union criticises council's 'fire and rehire' plan 05/03/2025 The GMB trade union has criticised Tory-led Devon CC for adopting a rare ‘fire and rehire' strategy for more than 800 jobs.
Unions brand reunification service closure ‘callous’ 19/02/2025 Cambridgeshire CC’s decision to close down a service helping children in care would harm vulnerable children and cost more money, unions warn.
Unions call for £3,000 pay rise 31/01/2025 Council and school employees in England should receive a wage rise of £3,000, according to trade unions representing public sector workers.
Union criticises council’s plan to use AI to cut jobs 30/01/2025 UNISON has criticised Dorset Council’s decision to use AI in its transformation programme to help reduce the number of staff it employs.
The cost of local authority trading companies 30/01/2025 Trading companies provide a model to deliver services under tight financial circumstances, says UNISON’s Paul Bell. But at what cost?
Unions lodge pay claims in Scotland 24/01/2025 Unions have put in their pay claims on behalf of local government employees in Scotland.
350 Birmingham workers to strike 20/12/2024 Refuse workers at cash-strapped Birmingham City Council are set to strike in January in a dispute over pay.
Waste staff ‘furious’ as Veolia accused of backing out of deal 13/12/2024 Trade union Unite has accused Veolia of backing out of a recognition deal for its refuse workers in Sheffield ‘at the 11th hour’.
Council staff reject ‘insulting’ pay offer 13/12/2024 Outsourced Peterborough City Council employees are considering industrial action after rejecting a pay award.
Birmingham settles equal pay claim 10/12/2024 Birmingham City Council has reached an agreement over the equal pay claim that pushed it to issue a section 114 notice.
UNISON: School support staff face daily abuse 29/11/2024 School support staff are subjected to verbal abuse and violence on a daily basis, a new survey has revealed.
UNISON accepts revised pay offer 28/11/2024 Trade union UNISON has accepted the revised pay offer from local government employers in Scotland.
Brum staff call for security review 26/11/2024 Birmingham City Council staff have called for a review of security at their offices after three housing staff were injured in a ‘serious incident'.
Sector pay deals agreed 23/10/2024 Unions have struck a deal with employers on pay increases for chief executives and the wider workforce for 2024-25.
Sheffield equal pay review after union concerns 08/10/2024 Every job at Sheffield City Council will face evaluation after unions raised concerns over equal pay.
Union threatens strike action after pay award decision 27/09/2024 Local authority leaders in Scotland have decided to impose a wage rise prompting UNISON to threaten strike action.
Starmer defeated in winter fuel payment vote 25/09/2024 The Labour leadership has lost a union-sponsored motion at the party’s conference that called on ministers to reverse the cuts to winter fuel payments.
CCTV operators in Hounslow call off pay strike 10/09/2024 Strikes by London borough of Hounslow CCTV operators employed by NSL have ended after a deal for the workers’ outstanding 2023 pay claim was reached.
Social care wage rise call 09/09/2024 Unions have called for wages to rise in social care to resolve the ‘recruitment crisis'.
£4bn shortfall leaves councils facing ‘financial disaster’ 09/09/2024 Failure to address an estimated £4bn black hole in the finances of councils could lead to ‘the widespread collapse of local government’, union warns.
Unite ‘overwhelmingly’ backs COSLA pay offer 05/09/2024 Unite members have voted to accept the revised pay offer from local government employers in Scotland.
Union rejects latest COSLA pay offer 03/09/2024 Members of Scotland’s largest trade union have voted overwhelmingly to reject the latest pay offer from local government employers.
Questions raised over Brum’s decision to issue s114 19/08/2024 A report has raised questions about the reliability of Birmingham CC’s £760m equal pay liability and called for an inquiry into the decision to issue an s114.
Union submits first tranche of equal pay claims 14/08/2024 Trade union GMB has lodged the first tranche of 400 legal equal pay claims against Brighton and Hove City Council.
Council worker pay strike suspended 13/08/2024 A strike over pay that was set to hit Scotland this week has been suspended after council leaders made a new offer.
COSLA makes improved pay offer 12/08/2024 Councils have made an improved pay offer to staff in a bid to avert strike action across Scotland.
Bin strikes threaten ‘significant disruption’ during Edinburgh Fringe 31/07/2024 Edinburgh CC has urged COSLA, unions and the Scottish Government to resolve the pay dispute to ‘prevent significant disruption’ during Edinburgh Fringe.
Council support staff declare strike over salary grades 26/07/2024 Around 200 support staff in Lancashire County Council’s social work team today began strike action in a dispute over salary grades and working arrangements.
Unions threaten ‘stinking’ summer after rejecting pay offer 22/07/2024 Residents in Scotland will be faced with a ‘stinking Scottish summer’ unless local government employers improve their pay offer to workers, union says.
COSLA offers 3.2% pay uplift 18/07/2024 Local government employers in Scotland have made a new pay offer in an effort to resolve the ongoing pay dispute.
Unite members ‘overwhelmingly’ reject pay offer 12/07/2024 A substantial majority of Unite members have voted to reject the latest local government pay offer.
GMB accepts local government pay offer 12/07/2024 The GMB has split the union response on sector pay after coming out in support of the offer from employers for this year.
Scotland’s bin strikes will create ‘playground for pests’ 04/07/2024 Residents in council areas that will be affected by the summer bin strikes in Scotland have been asked to take ‘reasonable steps’ to avoid attracting pests.
Bin strikes could hit Edinburgh Fringe Festival, union says 02/07/2024 Waste and recycling workers in Scotland have voted to go on strike during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as part of an ongoing pay dispute.
Refuse workers’ strike escalates 26/06/2024 Refuse workers in the London Borough of Redbridge are to escalate their industrial dispute with a ban on overtime working, trade union Unite has announced.
Council staff balloted for strike action 25/06/2024 Trade union Unison has announced that Kirklees Council staff at two customer service centres at risk of closure are being balloted for strike action.
Union announces strike over working conditions 19/06/2024 Refuse workers in the London borough of Redbridge will strike next month over a ‘deterioration’ of working conditions.
UNISON: Over 90% of council workers reject pay offer 17/06/2024 Thousands of council workers in Scotland have voted overwhelmingly to reject a pay offer from local government employers.
UNISON: To whoever forms the next government… 14/06/2024 Christina McAnea, general secretary of UNISON, tells LocalGov.co.uk what the sector’s biggest union hopes to see from the next government.
Council workers strike over pay cuts 11/06/2024 Nearly 150 council employees in Greenwich are striking this week over the local authority’s plans to reduce their pay.
Union calls out council over equal pay claims 10/06/2024 GMB union has written to Brighton and Hove Council around equal pay claims that could be worth tens of millions of pounds.
Unite warns of strike action in escalating pay dispute 29/05/2024 Unite has served industrial action notices to 29 councils in the escalating pay dispute between local government employers and employees in Scotland.
Council workers’ incomes ‘cut to the bone’, warns union 29/05/2024 Unite has recommended its members reject the latest local government pay offer for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Greenwich council repairs staff declare strike 28/05/2024 Nearly 150 workers employed by Greenwich council will go on strike today after the local authority brought in plans to cut their wages.
COSLA makes 2.2% pay offer 24/05/2024 Local authority employees in Scotland have been offered a 2.2% pay increase from 1 April.
Union recommends council staff reject pay offer 23/05/2024 Unison has advised local authority employees to reject an offer of a pay increase of at least £1,290.
UNISON: Council employers ‘miles away’ from acceptable pay offer 13/05/2024 Local authority workers in Scotland are considering strike action because ‘employers are miles away from offering anything staff are likely to accept’.
Wages below 2008 levels in two thirds of council areas 29/04/2024 Real wages are still below 2008 levels in nearly two-thirds of UK local authority areas, a new TUC analysis has revealed.
Brum council workers vote for strike over equal pay 23/04/2024 Council workers at 35 schools across Birmingham have voted in support of strike action over the ongoing equal pay claims issue.
Unison warns of looming strike as it awaits pay offer 22/04/2024 Scotland’s largest local government union has warned that strike preparations could begin next week amid growing tensions over pay.
Government urged to fund council pay claim 22/04/2024 Forest of Dean District Council has called on ministers to fully fund trade unions’ pay claim for local government workers.
Trade union law ‘nullifies’ right to strike, court rules 18/04/2024 UNISON has welcomed a landmark Supreme Court ruling that found UK trade union law ‘encourages and legitimises unfair and unreasonable conduct’ by employers.
Social workers’ concerns not addressed, union warns 02/04/2024 Welfare concerns raised by social workers are not being dealt with, putting vulnerable people at risk, a union has warned.
EXCLUSIVE: No pay offer until after local elections 14/03/2024 Local government employers will not make a pay offer until after the upcoming local elections in May, The MJ understands.
Shropshire Council staff offered voluntary redundancy 12/03/2024 Staff at Shropshire Council have been offered voluntary redundancy as part of the local authority's plans to lose 300 full time jobs.
Brum workers vote for ‘major escalation’ of equal pay dispute 05/03/2024 Workers at Birmingham City Council have voted to strike in what the union GMB describes as a ‘major escalation’ in the campaign to end the equal pay crisis.
Unions call for 10% wage hike 04/03/2024 A 10% wage rise is the ‘only way to maintain the staff levels necessary to deliver services’, Unison, Unite and GMB say.
Surrey apologises for £30m payroll problem 01/03/2024 Surrey County Council has apologised after a problem with their new £30m payroll system left staff out of pocket.
Union urges prospective MPs to back national care service 21/02/2024 Election candidates in the forthcoming general election are being urged to support the creation of a new national care service in England.
Flexible-work denied to third of women in public sector 15/02/2024 Three in ten (30%) women working in the public sector have had requests to work flexibly denied, new research from Unison has revealed.
Migrant care worker family ban ‘reckless’, union says 31/01/2024 The Government’s decision to ban migrant care workers from bringing family over to join them in England could ‘spell disaster for social care’, union warns.
Council set to halve sick pay 26/01/2024 Southend Council is planning to halve the amount of sick pay given to staff in a move Unison has described as ‘callous’.
Unions call for school inspections to be suspended 21/12/2023 School inspections must be suspended until Ofsted implements recommendations to reform the system following the death of head teacher Ruth Perry, unions say.
Brum workers consider strike over equal pay delays 12/12/2023 Thousands of workers at Birmingham City Council will today start a ballot for strike action in response to equal pay claim delays.
Coventry on collision course with union 05/12/2023 Coventry City Council is on collision course with Unite this month, over controversial proposals to end ‘task and finish’ contracts among waste staff.
Unions plan for January pay claim 30/11/2023 Local government trade unions are aiming to submit their next one-year pay claim in January, The MJ understands.
Unison members accept ‘long overdue’ pay offer 27/11/2023 Council chiefs in Scotland have welcomed a decision by Unison members to accept the latest offer in a long running pay dispute.
Council ‘saddened’ by proposed job cuts at rail factory 16/11/2023 A council leader has urged ministers to commit to the industrial sector after the UK’s largest rail assembly factory announced 1,330 jobs are at risk in Derby.
New offer in pay dispute 03/11/2023 More money has been offered in the hope of averting strike action by Scottish Unison members.
Council chiefs to receive 3.5% pay increase 02/11/2023 Local authority chief executives will receive a 3.5% salary increase backdated to the beginning of April after agreement was reached on this year’s pay award.
Plan to axe 750 council jobs ‘extremely worrying’ 19/10/2023 Leeds City Council’s proposals to axe hundreds of jobs to help reduce the local authority’s deficit are ‘extremely worrying’, a union has said.
Unison rejects Scotland’s 10% pay offer 16/10/2023 Unison members in Scotland today rejected local government employers’ latest pay deal, which would have seen the lowest-paid staff receive a 10% wage boost.
Haringey housing staff to strike 10/10/2023 Housing repair workers employed by Haringey Council will strike this winter in a dispute over pay.
High street facing ‘terminal decline’, union warns 09/10/2023 The high street may be facing a ‘terminal decline’ as more than 420,000 traditional retail jobs have been lost since 2010, the union GMB has warned.
Coventry refuse workers to vote on industrial action 04/10/2023 The trade union Unite has notified Coventry City Council that it will ballot 55 refuse workers for strike action and action short of a strike.
Councils face record £3.5bn shortfall 28/09/2023 Research has uncovered a £3.5bn shortfall facing councils over the next financial year, revealing ‘true scale of the dire state of local government funding’.
EXCLUSIVE: Unions delay next steps discussion 27/09/2023 Trade unions have agreed to reconvene to discuss their next steps on the ongoing pay dispute within days of GMB’s strike ballots closing, The MJ understands.
Unite and council reach deal to end waste strike 27/09/2023 Waste service workers and street cleaners return to work today after negotiations between Tower Hamlets Council and the trade union Unite put an end to industrial action.
Unions call for £4bn investment in school estate 26/09/2023 In response to the RAAC crisis, trade unions have written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urging him to invest £4.4bn per year to improve the school estate.
Unite suspends strike 22/09/2023 The trade union Unite has suspended a planned three-day strike across education and local government in Scotland after receiving a ‘serious’ pay offer from employers.
Nottinghamshire waste staff to strike 15/09/2023 The GMB union has announced a week-long strike at waste recycling plants in Nottinghamshire.
Unions reject latest COSLA offer 14/09/2023 The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) has warned trade unions face a choice between ‘real cuts to jobs and services’ and increased pay.
Brum braced for Government intervention 12/09/2023 Birmingham City Council is braced for a wide-ranging Government intervention to help rescue the authority’s bleak finances, and improve political and officer leadership.
Union vows to oppose controversial crackdown 12/09/2023 Local government’s largest trade union has warned any attempt to impose a controversial crackdown will be met with strong opposition.
Employers reject fresh unions' pay bid 24/08/2023 Local government employers have knocked back a bid from the unions for an improved pay offer, insisting it remains ‘full and final’.
School staff at 10 Scottish councils to strike 18/08/2023 Local authority employees in schools and early years provisions across Scotland will strike for two days next month, GMB Scotland has announced.
Thousands of education workers vote to strike in Scotland 07/08/2023 Thousands of workers in education and early years services across 10 local authority areas in Scotland have voted to go on strike.