Trade unions | LocalGov

Teacher vacancies rise in almost nine in 10 local authorities

19/04/2024

Teacher vacancies have increased in 86% of English local authority areas since 2010, according to analysis by the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

Refuse workers strike over alleged 'bullying culture'

11/01/2024

Bins across South Tyneside could go uncollected for eight weeks as refuse workers strike over what has been called a ‘toxic bullying culture’.

Agreement ends long-running bin strike

11/12/2023

An agreement between Warrington Borough Council and the trade union Unite has put an end to refuse workers’ strikes.

Local authority leaders criticise minimum service levels

11/12/2023

'Unfair’ and ‘undemocratic’ minimum service levels will lead to ‘more frequent and longer strikes’, according to mayors and council leaders from across UK.

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.

New offer in pay dispute

03/11/2023

More money has been offered in the hope of averting strike action by Scottish Unison members.

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.

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.

Brighton settles 10-year equal pay issue

20/09/2023

Brighton and Hove City Council will adjust bank holiday pay for more than 800 staff in response to calls from Unison.

Unions move closer to summer strike action

03/05/2023

Unite members working for councils have rejected a pay offer from local government employers and the union will now ballot on strike action.

EXCLUSIVE: Unions poised to submit inflation-busting pay claim

26/01/2023

Local government trade unions are considering an inflation-busting pay demand for 2023-24, The MJ understands.

Council pay offer accepted by unions

02/11/2022

Local government trade unions have accepted a pay offer that equates to a 10.5% increase for the lowest-paid workers.

Call for new minimum wage to lift social care workers out of 'poverty pay'

25/10/2022

Care and support workers should be paid at least £15 per hour to help tackle the cost of living crisis, a trade union has said today.

Warning council staff could strike again within weeks

24/10/2022

Local government workers in Scotland could be back on strike within weeks, trade unions have warned.

Chief executives ‘exceptionally disappointed’ by pay offer

20/10/2022

The council chief executives' trade union has said that it is ‘exceptionally disappointed’ at a pay offer that fails to reflect the high levels of inflation.

Scottish council workers get improved pay offer

15/08/2022

Council leaders in Scotland have made an improved pay offer in a bid to avoid strike action.

Waste workers announce strike action across 15 Scottish councils

11/08/2022

Waste workers in 15 councils across Scotland will walk-out for a week this month in protest over the 'pitiful' 2% pay offer.

Unison to put pay deal to its members

01/08/2022

Unison has vowed to consult its members on the flat rate pay rise offered to all council staff.

Unite rejects local government pay offer

28/07/2022

Unite has rejected the flat rate pay rise offered to all council staff this week.

Council workers in Scotland vote for strike action

27/07/2022

Thousands of Scottish council workers have voted to strike in a dispute over the offered pay rise.

Sandwell refuse workers secure 9% pay rise to avoid strike action

22/07/2022

Refuse workers in Sandwell MBC have called off a planned strike due to start next week after accepting a 9% pay increase and securing additional annual leave.

Half of social workers at risk of quitting survey finds

13/06/2022

Nearly half (49%) of social workers say they are less likely to stay in their jobs due to excessive workloads, high stress levels and low morale.

Adur and Worthing bin strike ends with pay deal

21/04/2022

The long-running Adur and Worthing bin strike has ended after a new pay deal was reached with the local authority.

Trade unions call for £200 fuel loan to be a grant

07/03/2022

Trade unions have called on the Government to protect working families against further energy price rises as a result of the Ukraine crisis.

Sussex councils agree pay rise for refuse, recycling and cleansing staff

28/02/2022

Adur & Worthing Councils have agreed to a wage increase for refuse, recycling and cleansing staff following a review of pay and conditions.

Councillors urged to ensure short-term funding reaches social care frontline

11/02/2022

Councils have been urged to access short-term funding from the Government to boost the pay of social care workers.

Coventry bin lorry driver strike to cost council £1.8m

09/02/2022

The dispute in Coventry over the pay of bin lorry drivers is likely to cost the city council around £1.8m if it continues to the end of March, the local authority has warned.

Council care workers earn thousands of pounds a year less in real terms, says TUC

26/01/2022

Local government care workers earn £1,600 less a year in real terms compared to 2010, new analysis has revealed.

Top 100: Our most popular local government stories of 2021

06/12/2021

From the ongoing dispute over council pay, to how local government is adjusting in the wake of the pandemic, here are the most popular 100 stories on LocalGov from 2021.

Union starts ballot for strike action

02/12/2021

A trade union has started balloting 370,000 council and school staff for strike action over the 'inadequate' pay offer.

HGV drivers threaten Christmas strikes

24/11/2021

Drivers of heavy goods vehicles who work for Coventry City Council’s waste services are threatening to go on strike over the Christmas period as part of a pay dispute.

Care staffing levels are ‘dangerously low' survey warns

24/11/2021

Nearly a third (31%) of care workers have warned staffing levels are ‘dangerously low’, according to a new survey.

Birmingham could face new equal pay claims

12/11/2021

Birmingham City Council is facing an equal pay ‘crisis’, a trade union has warned.

Local government needs £68bn to become net zero, report finds

08/11/2021

Local government will need an up-front investment of £68bn from Government in order to become net zero by 2035, according to a new report.

Thousands of council workers to strike over pay in Scotland

26/10/2021

Trade unions have warned half of Scotland’s local authority areas will see strike action next month unless an agreement is made over council pay.

Refuse workers strike against ‘ongoing attacks’ on pay and conditions

21/10/2021

Union members at Veolia Sheffield have voted to strike over pay and what they characterise as ‘ongoing attacks’ to their terms and conditions.

Brighton council and union reaches deal to end bin strike

19/10/2021

Brighton residents will soon once again see their streets cleared of bin bags as the council reaches a deal with striking refuse collection workers to resolve the ongoing industrial dispute.

Research shows drop in council pay over past decade

14/10/2021

Frontline staff in local government have seen their pay fall by around £1,500 in real terms over the past decade, new research has revealed today.

More unions announce strike ballots

06/10/2021

Two more trade unions have moved a step closer to industrial action after members rejected the latest pay offer.

Unison warns of strike action over council pay

04/10/2021

Trade union Unison has warned of future strike action unless local government employers improve their pay offer.

Union warns of mental health crisis in care sector

15/09/2021

More than two-thirds of care workers (68%) have seen their mental health decline during the pandemic, according to the results of a new survey.

Union calls for 'new deal' for Shared Lives foster carers

14/09/2021

Councils have been urged to provide a 'pay rise' and respite care for Shared Lives foster carers who look after vulnerable adults in their homes.

One in ten care workers 'trapped' on Universal Credit

13/09/2021

One in ten care workers are in receipt of in-work benefits, analysis by GMB has revealed.

New pay deal ends long-running bin strikes in South London

03/09/2021

Disruption to refuse services in the London Borough of Bexley has finally come to an end after a new pay deal was agreed.

Scottish union to hold nationwide strike ballot

24/08/2021

Councils in Scotland have been put on notice as Unison ballots members over industrial action.

Strike action at Ealing ends

05/08/2021

There will be no return to the picket lines after an agreement has been reached between the Unite trade union and outsourcer Serco.

Unions urge pinged staff to isolate

02/08/2021

Unions have urged waste and recycling staff to stay at home if ‘pinged’ by the COVID-19 app despite several councils having to reduce or suspend services.

PM urged to intervene over council pay

27/07/2021

A trade union has urged the Prime Minister to make funding available to give council workers a 'fair' pay rise.

Council pay offer increases to 1.75%

27/07/2021

Council employers have offered an improved 'final' pay offer to staff but have offered council chief executives and chief officers a lower increase.

Workers and communities deserve better than poverty pay and degraded services

08/07/2021

Steve Turner, who is standing to become the next general secretary of Unite the Union, pledges to end the outsourcing of council services and campaign for better pay.

A new deal for workers in local government

24/06/2021

Sharon Graham, who is standing to become the next general secretary of Unite the Union, sets out her priorities for local government workers.

Self-isolation payments 'failing' workers

21/06/2021

Two out of three people applying for self-isolation payments are being rejected, according to new research.

Litter overwhelming councils in tourist hotspots, warns union

15/06/2021

Councils are being overwhelmed by huge piles of litter at UK beauty spots, a trade union has warned today.

Unions rejects 'insulting' council pay offer

24/05/2021

Two trade unions have rejected the 1.5% pay offer from the national local government employers.

Norwich Council workers to strike over pay dispute

13/05/2021

Staff working at a council-owned company in Norwich have announced five days of strike action over 'broken promises' on pay.

Call to tackle 'mental health crisis' in care sector

27/04/2021

Three quarters of care workers have experienced worsened mental health as a result of the pandemic, new research has warned.

Unions reject councils’ pay offer

26/04/2021

Scottish members of two trade unions have voted to reject a pay offer from councils, raising the prospect of strike action.

PM told to 'urgently' reform sleep-in shift rules

20/04/2021

Unison has warned that a Supreme Court ruling that sleep-in carers should not be paid the minimum wage for the hours they are asleep could be seen by some as ‘an opportunity to cut costs including wages’.

COVID-19 mortality rates twice as high in insecure jobs, TUC finds

16/04/2021

Mortality rates during the pandemic are twice as high in insecure jobs than in other professions, a TUC analysis has revealed.

Labour council pressed to insource service

12/04/2021

Neath Port Talbot CBC has been urged to bring its leisure services under direct control as it searches for a new operator.

Unions reject Scots pay offer

06/04/2021

Trade unions in Scotland have formally rejected employers’ pay offer of an £800 lower-rate pay rise for 2021, dismissing the sum as an unacceptably poor response to staff efforts during COVID-19.

Sleep-in shifts legal battle ends

19/03/2021

A long-running legal challenge by care workers over pay worth £400m has been rejected by the Supreme Court.

COSLA pay offer ‘slap in the face’, union says

18/03/2021

Unison has accused the body representing local authorities in Scotland of making a pay offer that ‘falls far short’ of what local government workers deserve.

Women on the frontline are 'exhausted' survey warns

17/02/2021

Women working in local government have warned the emotional, physical and financial impact of the pandemic is taking its toll, a new survey has revealed.

Union calls for nurseries to be closed during lockdown

06/01/2021

Pre-schools including nurseries must be closed except to educate the children of key workers and those who are vulnerable, union says.

Union calls for libraries to be ‘completely closed’ during lockdown

06/01/2021

A public sector union has called for libraries to be completely closed to protect library workers during the lockdown.

Top 100: Our most popular local government stories of 2020

16/12/2020

Although the dispute over council pay caused the most stir in the local government sector this year, the impact of dealing with the pandemic obviously dominated the headlines as well.

One in nine care workers not tested weekly

16/12/2020

A government pledge to test all care home staff every seven days is not being met, according to a survey published today.

Councils urged to back £20 Universal Credit uplift

10/12/2020

Councils have been urged to lobby the Government to make the £20 uplift in Universal Credit permanent by trade union Unite.

Sandwell's outsourced refuse workers secure back pay deal

07/12/2020

Refuse workers in Sandwell are set to receive substantial back pay following intervention by trade union Unite.

District council workers agree to strike next month

18/11/2020

Up to 1,000 workers at Newry, Mourne and Down District Council are set to strike following a row about pay and conditions.

Local government pay deal agreed

21/08/2020

Local government has accepted a 2.75% pay increase, it has been confirmed, despite objections from Unite.

Unite members reject 'insulting' council pay offer

17/08/2020

The majority of members of Unite the union have rejected the 2.75% pay offer.

Chancellor accused of 'selective memory' over council workers' pay

21/07/2020

Council staff are the 'forgotten army of public service' and are being denied a 'decent' pay rise, a union said today.

Thousands of council jobs at risk due to funding shortfall, union warns

07/07/2020

Tens of thousands of council jobs could be lost unless the Government addresses the current funding shortfall, Unison has warned.

Unite to ballot members over ‘insulting’ council pay offer

12/06/2020

Around 100,000 council workers will be asked if they want to accept or reject the 2.75% pay offer.

Schools using 'professional judgement' on reopening, union finds

04/06/2020

Just over a third of schools (35%) opened on the terms expected by the prime minister on 1 June, a union has found.

Unions slam 'woefully low' council pay offer

17/04/2020

The Government should provide extra funding to give council workers a 'proper' pay rise during the pandemic crisis, trade unions have said.

Refuse workers in Wirral walk out over coronavirus fears

08/04/2020

Refuse collectors in Wirral have refused to work after claiming Biffa Waste Services failed to introduce strict social distancing measures.

Scottish unions blast 'inconsistent' way councils are handling coronavirus

02/04/2020

Trade unions in Scotland have criticised the ‘inconsistent’ approach to protecting council staff from coronavirus.

Local government pay summit to go ahead

30/03/2020

Negotiators hope to keep local government pay discussions on track despite the difficulties posed by the coronavirus crisis.

Union questions how refuse workers can practice social distancing within an RCV cab

24/03/2020

A union has called on local government employers to spell out how refuse service workers can safely provide an essential service while meeting social distancing requirements.

Union and council end dispute amid coronavirus crisis

24/03/2020

Trade union Unite has said its dispute with Veolia over holiday pay for refuse staff working at Tower Hamlets LBC has been resolved.

Union accuses town council of being like ‘The Godfather’

19/02/2020

There is a ‘systematic and sustained campaign of bullying’ in the Norfolk town council of Attleborough, according to the union Unite.

A 10% council pay rise is 'affordable' says Unison

12/02/2020

A 10% pay rise for council staff is 'affordable' and would boost local economies, new research from a trade union has said.

Unions reject 'disappointing' 2% council pay offer

05/02/2020

Trade unions have rejected a 2% pay increase for council staff and called on employers to 'come up with a better offer'.

Bromley's eight-month strike comes to an end

31/01/2020

An eight-month long strike at Bromley’s library services has finally ended following an agreement between Unite and the employer, Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL).

Pay dispute threatens to ‘disrupt’ council tax collection

24/01/2020

Newham council faces ‘significant disruption’ to council tax collection and rebates when staff stage a week-long strike in a job evaluation row.

Unions blast 'unnecessary' delay to council staff pay rise decision

23/01/2020

Trade unions have criticised employers for failing to make a pay offer to local government staff yet.

Surrey firefighters vote for Christmas industrial action

12/12/2019

Firefighters in Surrey have voted in favour of industrial action short of strike over the Christmas period in order to fight against local authority cuts.

Research reveals 'shocking' cuts to local services

10/12/2019

Hundreds of youth centres, libraries and public toilets have been closed due to council funding cuts, a trade union has warned.

Delays to pay claim talks branded a 'disappointment by union

07/11/2019

The biggest local government union has branded a delay to talks over their 10% pay claim 'a huge disappointment'.

Decision on council staff pay rise delayed until the New Year

06/11/2019

A leading union negotiator has questioned local government employers' good faith after they decided to delay responding to their 10% pay claim until the New Year.

Council workers to lobby for 10% pay rise

04/11/2019

Unions are set to protest in support of their 10% pay claim when local government employers meet in London tomorrow.

Recycling and refuse top public’s spending priority list

17/10/2019

Councils should spend more money on rubbish collection and recycling, according to the results of a new poll.

Union ballots over strike action at Greenwich Council

03/09/2019

Housing employees at Greenwich Council in London are being balloted for strike action over the ending of a productivity agreement.

Formal dispute opened by union at Northamptonshire

13/08/2019

A trade union has lodged a dispute with Northamptonshire CC.

‘Rethink’ changes to local government pension scheme, Unison warns

09/08/2019

Plans to allow higher and further education employers to opt out of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) could cause serious cash flow problems for funds, a trade union has warned.

Lincolnshire health visitors announce new pay strikes

06/08/2019

Unite have announced that health visitors employed by the council will be holding further demonstrations across Lincolnshire as part of an ongoing pay dispute.

In a nutshell: the 2020-21 local government pay claim

29/07/2019

Mark Whitehead explores the context behind the union's bid for a 10% pay increase for council staff.

Banning urban pesticide use image

Banning urban pesticide use

RSPB and PAN are working on a letter from local councillors calling on the Government to introduce a national ban on urban pesticide use. Find out more below.
SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Head of Transport Strategy & Road Safety

Warwickshire County Council
£76,594 - £84,443 per annum
We have a unique opportunity for you to shape, influence and create a better future for Warwickshire Warwickshire
Recuriter: Warwickshire County Council

Development Engineer

London Borough of Bexley
£34,476 - £39,777 per annum
The team requires someone who can inspect, measure and monitor highway works Bexley (London Borough), London (Greater)
Recuriter: London Borough of Bexley

Highway Asset and Development Manager

Bolton Council
Grade N Scp 50 £59,031 to Scp 53 £62,076, plus car allowance
To be responsible for leading, developing and delivering an effective, efficient and safe Highway Asset Management Service Bolton, Greater Manchester
Recuriter: Bolton Council

Bridge Engineer

Somerset Council
£34,834 to £39,186
We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. Taunton
Recuriter: Somerset Council

Customer Advisor

West Northamptonshire Council
£24758 - £25603
Can you provide excellent customer service to all visitors to Towcester Library? Are you motivated and enthusiastic with a proactive approach? Are you creative and excited about delivering and supporting memorable activities for children and their familie Towcester
Recuriter: West Northamptonshire Council
Linkedin Banner

Partner Content

Circular highways is a necessity not an aspiration – and it’s within our grasp

Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.

Support from Effective Energy Group for Local Authorities to Deliver £430m Sustainable Warmth Funded Energy Efficiency Projects

Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.

Pay.UK – the next step in Bacs’ evolution

Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.