Unite local government workers warn of a “winter of action” over low pay

A leading union has warned that local government workers could stage a “winter of action” as part of their campaign for a fair pay deal.

Since the start of September Unite members at Wrexham Council have already held several weeks of strikes.

Uninterrupted industrial action will continue for a further six weeks, prolonging the strikes until the end of November.

It comes after Unite members “overwhelmingly rejected the local authority employers pay offer of just £1,925.”

The union argues that it represents a poorer offer than last year and a real terms pay cut, with many Unite members within Welsh Local Authorities working for barely above the national minimum wage.‌

Talks between Unite and Wrexham Council finally took place this week and are expected to continue in the coming days.

@UniteWales Local Authorities Dispute.

Yesterday after 4+ weeks #Wrexham Council finally met with the union. Talks were positive & meetings/talks will continue next week.

Thank you again to local Cllr Marc Jones for popping along to say hi! Support & solidarity means a lot. pic.twitter.com/GuaaIupiyA

— Michael Harrison (@MikeHarrison246) October 5, 2023

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Simon Ellis, a Unite representative, said the union had been “requesting a formal meeting with the Wrexham Chief Executive for over six weeks, this was only finally agreed following the intervention of the WLGA and the First Minister.”

His comments came after Wrexham urged the union to call off industrial action, claiming that a change in local pay and negotiations would lead to increased budget pressures.

Simon Ellis said: “Our members should not pay the price for the council’s mis-management of their finances, particularly when they see colleagues in Flintshire earning an average of £1,500 per year more for doing the same job.

“Unite feels WCBC are being disingenuous in their press release regarding Council finances as Mark Pritchard previously stated in February 2023 that Wrexham’s budget was the best he had seen in a long time and that there would be no cuts to council services or redundancies.

“Our members are keen to see meaningful and constructive face to face dialogue, rather than responding to inaccurate press releases.”

Local government workers at Unite are now planning a winter of industrial action, with staff at Cardiff Council also continuing on with a further six weeks of strikes.

So far a total 23 councils across the UK have either announced strike dates or are preparing to do so.

Activists from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland met in Cardiff yesterday and on Friday to plan a winter campaign of action against low pay.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The council leaders are wrongly claiming they can’t negotiate locally. It’s complete nonsense and the local government employers know it.

“Unite has already successfully negotiated pay rises for workers in Tower Hamlets and Newham in London. It’s time for other councils to listen and learn.”