Story updated 1 August 2024
UNISON will ballot its members on taking strike action over this year’s local government pay offer for 2024-25.
The decision follows members’ overwhelming rejection of the proposal in a consultative ballot that concluded last month.
Employers have offered council and school support staff in England (outside London), Wales and Northern Ireland a rise of £1,290 or 2.5% – whichever is higher. Higher-earning staff in the capital are also being offered 2.5% with those below defined thresholds being offered £1,491 (in outer London) or £1,575 (in inner London).
They described this as their “full and final” offer, saying it was at the “limits of affordability”.
Union members split over employer offer
However, while members of the GMB accepted the proposed deal, it was rejected by counterparts represented by Unite, as well as UNISON, which means that the offer cannot be agreed.
UNISON said its ballot, which would be open to 360,000 members, would run from 4 September to 16 October.
The union will ballot members on an employer by employer basis, with each local vote requiring a majority on a turnout of at least 50% to secure a strike mandate. This means that walkouts may take place in some areas but not others.
Unite subsequently announced that it would also ballot its members on taking industrial action over the offer.
UNISON must agree any pay deal
Should members vote to strike, this would set the scene for walkouts during the winter. As UNISON holds a majority of union seats on negotiating body the National Joint Council for Local Government Services, it must agree any pay deal for it to go through.
Last year, UNISON secured positive votes in some areas but decided in the end not to call members out on strike. UNISON and the GMB – though not Unite – eventually agreed to accept employers first and only offer for 2023-24, which meant it was formally agreed in November 2023.
UNISON’s head of local government, Mike Short said: “The legal threshold required is a hard one to meet, and so everyone who wants to take action must be sure that they and all their colleagues return their ballot papers.
“The local government employers should come forward with an improved pay offer.”
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Why September and October? Just get on with it, all it means that the lowest paid are no better off as simply lose UC when it gets paid. Complete waste of time, the unions are pointless no wonder their membership is dwindling
I have to agree it’s an absolute disgrace, why not ballot members from this week.
I totally agree, get on with it. Offer rejected so start taking action now.
100% true waste of money being a member they don’t have a clue.
When was the last time the unions secure a better pay offer for local government employees?
Here’s a year-by-year list of local government pay award in England since 2010:
2010: 0% (Pay freeze)
2011: 0% (Pay freeze)
2012: 1%
2013: 1%
2014: 1%
2015: 2.2% (over two years)
2016: 1%
2017: 1%
2018: 2%
2019: 2%
2020: 2.75%
2021: 1.75% (2.75% for lowest paid)
2022: £1,925 flat rate increase
2023: £1,925 flat rate increase
2024: Flat rate increase of £1,290
The unions are their members. It is the union members that have not secured better pay rises. If members do not commit to sustained strike action then there is very little the union leadership can do and the employers know that.
But this year I suspect a 2.5% pay rise for school staff and social workers when the teachers and NHS staff they work alongside are rumoured to be getting a lot more may increase the anger a bit.
I will be cancelling my GMB membership. We are in July why does it have to be September to October talk about drag it out.
They do this every year and every year they say they are going to sort it a lot faster and look where we are. November at the earliest that’s if they don’t enough votes.
Gmb have accepted what else do you expect them to do?
Why? GMB members voted to accept the pay offer, its not their fault you’re not getting paid,
Agree. Why take so long? It will affect the lowest paid on uc as backpay for months will be paid in one go
Those who don’t usually pay any n.i will have to do so
Same has happened the last two years, they do not get the required numbers to strike, can’t remember the last time they did.
So glad im no longer a member
It’s not GMB. It’s Unison. Pulling rank and throwing their weight around as usual. This happens every year then their members don’t vote for strike action so their board “reluctantly” accepts the pay offer. It’s happened every year for a few years now. All it does it delay the money going in to workers bank accounts.
completely agree! Its time that unions powers were removed. Go back to what they were meant to do and help workers when they have issues, not hold an entire sector to ransom!
They’re probably earning a small fortune in monthly interest on all the payments they’re not having to make at the moment. Longer it gets dragged out better things are for them I guess.
The reason for the delay is anti-union legislation. In order to be legal a union needs to be as sure as it can be that their membership list is accurate before they ballot. As members are leaving and joining all the time you can;t do this in advance. Having to give people time to respond means this takes about three months.
Utter disgrace to take so long every year.
The offer is an insult. No wonder people receiving UC are better of and laughing at us. What’s is point of working rich getting richer and they don’t care about us working class.
Insult? Including this pay rise that’s over 5k in 3 years….tell me when you’ve ever had that before? If you want bigger pay rises prepare for job cuts.
It’s still below inflation so you’ve had a real terms pay cut in those three years. You should be way more upset over this…
we need to strike not enough for the job we do
Why does it take so long just to ballot ? Unions are useless I will be cancelling my membership. They not fit for purpose. It’s the digital age. Should never take that long for votes. What are you doing for the month of august? On holiday?!
The employers didn’t make an offer until well into May and the ballot includes schools staff hence September. Digital ballot would be better, but sadly Tory anti trade union laws say it must be postal.
We deserve a fair pay deal, the way to get it is to vote for strike action
Do school staff disappear off the face of the earth for six weeks over summer then? And what happened to the six weeks in June and first half of July while the schools were still open? Maybe if the Union was prepared, they could have hit the ground running rather than making excuses and delays. Ridiculous. Get on with it!
If you care to find out what restrictions the law puts on unions over strike action you will know why.
I don’t care.
I left Unison (was the Secretary of a branch) because I was sick of the subs going on the easy woke win of ‘this minority group’ and ‘that minority group’ when the union’s chief purpose is to negotiate a timely pay deal for its membership. The rest is all very laudable but let’s say it how it is.
Here we are again focussing on ‘this month’ or ‘that group’ when the month that most employees are bothered about is the one they’re pay rise is going to be paid!!
Stop playing to the minority until you’ve dealt with the big stuff because the current system is clearly not working!
Well said
I left too. Sick of paying money to be in Unison for them to give in easy every time. When you work out how much it costs every year and compare it with the joke or a rise we get you may as well not bother. The way we tolerate the government in this country is embarrassing
I think some people on this thread need a 101 on how unions work.
If unions don’t represent the majority of the workforce, or if the members vote against strike action, then the employer will walk all over them. Leaving the union just makes the problem worse.
The union is its members: join the union, get involved, vote for action and take back the power that is yours. Sounding off on social media achieves nothing.
Strike! The only source of power and influence working people have is collective action.
I agree – but for strike action to be effective it needs large amounts of people striking for long periods of time, not a few days here and there like we have seen other professionals do. Causing the greatest disruption to services is what works – problem is, who can afford to do that and I think that will influence people’s decisions. We should value our right to strike – not all public services are allowed to.
The way we strike in this country just plays into the governments hands. There is no fight in this country.
The government know people can’t afford to strike but if we just all stick together and hit them where it hurts that’s the only way we win. If you are not willing to strike what is the point of spending your hard earned cash to be in Unison. It isn’t cheap is it
Every year we have to wait till near xmas for a payrise . The payrise should be given in April not about 7 months later and why wait for a ballot . Its about time the unions did what members pay them for and get the rise sorted a lot earlier so it is awarded and in our pay in April. Come on unions sort yourselves out.
I think everyone forgets about teaching assistants . It is low pay for the work we do. So sad we are not valued.
If the vote to reject has come back, lets just press on with the ballot to strike immediately – why drag the response time out for six weeks? Start now and it could be done by the end of August! Those that wish to vote will do so pretty pronto, especially if it saves further delays.
Every year its such a drawn out process, peolple lose the will by the time it gets to strike action stage (usually November and want their money for the festive period)! We should be putting forward proposals for 25/26 now so employee’s actually stand a chance of getting their increase in April when it’s due for once!
GMB, Unite and Unison all voted.GMB accepted, their member are out voted. That’s how democracy works. More impact from September when most people are back in work. Employers have to wait for the outcome of the trade unions to discuss proposals for cost of living rise which is every April. This is the democratic way of consulting with members and voting . We all get it back dated from April’s.
Yes most lowest paid are on UC so lose any benefit of pay rise as just get no UC that month. Complete waste of time, it’s not a great increase but better than alot of people in private sector
Didn’t Rachel Reeves say 5.5 percent increase sorted by end of the month can someone just plough on with this
Saw some figures on the unison vote on a unison regional page. 80.77% of voters in unison rejected the offer… however they only had a turnout of 29.09%.
I’m sorry but I do not see that this is boding well for a successful strike mandate. When nearly 71% of eligible unison members did not bother to vote on the pay offer at all!
Getting voting figures to be over the 51% turnout needed and then the majority of that figure to vote to strike… this is another balls up in the making and unreasonable delays to both union members but also the bulk of workers (who are not in the unions).
This is ridiculous every year. Just get on with it. Unions are are a joke.
This should not be just about decent and reasonable pay, but also about Local Authority respect for the 37 hour working week and work-life balance, both of which are generally ignored by the government and Local Authorities. We have to take strike action
2.5% for us, 5.5% for teachers, cos they have the guts to strike. Being such a huge union doesnt get you anywhere. Too many members, too many different professions within that, not enough focus.
Let’s do the maths here and work out why unison have gone to a strike ballot….
Unison has approx 360,000 members affected by this pay offer. Only 29.09% voted on the offer; of that figure 80.77% voted to reject the offer.
That means only around 84,500 (ish) members of unison rejected the pay offer that affects over a million other workers.
I find that reprehensible to market the headline numbers only, avoiding giving context and then to delay so many others from receiving their pay – it’s not a great offer, but it’s reasonable in the wider financial context.
Yes, unite will have members also willing to strike; but this is still collectively a small number in the grand scheme of how many are affected by delays and the poor timetable of the union side.
It’s morally wrong, and ethically wrong and it stinks – and frankly I believe is purely being done for selfish reasons when all know it’s likely to only be small pockets of employers affected by any strikes (like with unite last year).
Another summer ruined by not having my pay on time.
Reality Check! The current rate of inflation is 2% so for the first time in years we are being offered an above inflation pay rise. No, it’s not great and it doesn’t compensate for years of under inflation pay rises. I have gone on strike in the past and I lost money and still did not get a better pay offer. Many of my colleagues have left the profession on mass and found new work with better pay. Sick of the government and LA’s under valuing us so think I will be doing the same in near future. It’s the service users I feel for as they are the ones who are suffering. This Country is in a mess and I don’t think a change of Government will make any difference. Like many, I would like my rise now, not months down the line. Sick of working to be skint!
And this isnwhy I cancelled my membership last year. Unions are unfit for purpose!!!
News of a 5.5% pay rise for all.public sector workers by the new central govt according to the media – not sure if this would include local govt. but one would hope so
Nathan unfortunately it’s not us, we come under the NJC, this rise announced today is only for NHS, teachers, civil servants, police and prison staff. We will get our rise in December as usual and will be the offer that has been on the table since march.
Nah we aren’t as vital as nhs junior doctors and teachers we only keep communities growing sure we will get a clap now and again though
We are a total after thought
It’s not for the local government workforce, we come under the NJC only teachers, NHS, police, civil servants, armed forces and prison staff will receive the pay rise from the government.
Strike for 5.5%! Why should social workers and other local government workers accept less than those in the NHS are getting? Once again we are their poor cousins, expected to take full and final pay offers. They don’t even have the decency to give an extra days annual leave. Maybe if they said 2.5% plus a days extra leave then people would be more willing to accept. Those in the NHS get more leave. Pay and conditions should be equal.
Because that’s the scam of the Public Sector unions, and keeping Social Workers and school ancillary staff locked away from the rest in with Council workers. We get done over time and time again because the workforce is too big and made up of to many professions. No focus, no will to strike, no mandate because the number needed is too high.