United Kingdom - Unions demand 10% pay rise for council staff - January 31, 2026

Unions have lodged a claim for a "significant pay rise" for local government staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. UNISON, Unite and GMB are calling for an increase of 10% or £ 3,000 (€ 3,460) - whichever is higher - for all staff in 2026-27, as well as a minimum hourly rate of £ 15 (€ 17.31) an hour and a two-hour reduction in the working week with no loss of pay. The unions said such a rise was required to take account of "years of effective pay cuts, which have left staff struggling to keep up with rising household bills". In 2025-26, UNISON and GMB settled, reluctantly, for a 3.2% rise for staff, with Unite's disagreement being insufficient to block the increase's implementation.

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For more information, please contact Paul de Beer or Oana Ciuca, De Burcht (Scientific Bureau for the Dutch Trade Union Movement) p.t.debeer@uva.nl or the Head of communications at the ETUI, Mehmet Koksal mkoksal@etui.org. For previous full issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit https://www.etui.org/Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter or consult the archive with all articles in our database at www.cbnarchive.eu. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org.