In late January, unions lodged a claim for a £3,000 pay rise for local government and school support staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for 2025-26.
UNISON, the GMB and Unite said council workers were “overdue” a significant pay rise, having previously “missed out on the higher wage settlements” awarded to other public sector staff, such as NHS workers.
‘We deserve compensation’
Out of 1,839 respondents in a Community Care poll, the majority (63%) said the pay rise was “the least” they deserved “to compensate for years of pay cuts”.
Of the rest, 18% believed it was “a recipe for protracted pay talks that would achieve very little”, a reference to the experience of the last two years when unions have settled for employers' initial offer after several months of negotiations.
Meanwhile, 19% said the £3,000 claim would be "good in an ideal world", but was “unrealistic”.
Discussions in the article’s comment section revealed divided opinions: some doubted unions’ ability to deliver, while others argued it was up to members to take action to achieve a decent increase.
‘Having three unions is counter-productive’
One reader said it was “counterproductive” for staff to be represented by three separate unions.“They can’t agree, and by the time they ballot people, half the year has passed,” they said.
“I have voted to strike every single time, but the process drags on so long that it plays into the hands of the employer.”
Glen echoed this view, calling for a union specifically for children's and adults' services.
“The three public sector unions are too big with too many members from disparate roles and services," he said. "Until there is a union dealing solely with adults’ and children’s services, nothing can or will change.”
‘Ineffective pay negotiations’
Others criticised unions’ negotiating processes.“As usual, pointless ballots will be sent out at significant cost to the members and all for the initial offer to be accepted,” said Simone Davis.
“Meanwhile, the value of the pay rise [will be] reduced in value in the several months since it was offered due to inflation.”
Another practitioner, James, attributed this to a lack of strategy and leadership in managing negotiations.
“The unions serve a general purpose and that’s not to be entirely dismissed but anyone arguing that their pay negotiations are effective is living on another planet,” added Johnny Ross.
He added it would be another year in which the unions accepted employers' initial offer "without negotiating any changes at all".
‘Social workers don’t use their vote’
However, a number of social workers argued that union strength depended on active members.
“The unions are only as good as [their] members and if we don’t vote for strike action then their hands are tied and they have less power to negotiate,” said Cath Howard.
“We would have even worse conditions and pay if not for the unions. They play an important role - don’t underestimate that.”
Jason said that while social workers are dedicated to their roles, they aren’t very active as union members.
“We don’t use our vote, ignore the ballot, then get [angry] that what we think we are entitled to and deserve isn’t given to us. We then blame the union, our employers, and the government rather than take responsibility for the outcome. This is just a fact. It may be uncomfortable, but it is.”
Abdul added: “Change can start with social workers owning their part rather than blaming [the union]. I’d warrant in any given team 95% don’t know who their shop steward is and 99% have never attended a union meeting.”
‘Give unions a strong mandate’
Sam argued that members who were not active and non-members had lost “the privilege” to comment on this year’s pay claim.“If social workers can’t be bothered to vote on the ballot then of course union negotiators are going to be hamstrung. Give them a strong mandate and if they fail on that, then legitimately criticise them,” he added.
“Moaning from the sidelines is the disease that is rotting social work and not just on this issue.”
Alison Johnson, who some years ago went on a strike for pay, said she was discouraged by the low turnout.
“Most of my team [...] did not want to lose a day’s pay. It was frustrating but, as a result, I would be reluctant to take action again, because there is no collective will for it. There is now a minority in my team even in a union.”
Councils unable to meet pay demands
One practitioner, Doris, said councils wouldn’t be able to meet pay demands, so she would accept whichever offer was put forward.“A decent pay rise that we all deserve would bankrupt most, if not all, councils. Because of this, we are in a terrible negotiating position.
“The general public isn’t really that bothered if we go on strike. Maybe refuse collection but certainly not social work. [We aren’t] visible. Because of this, I will be voting to accept the first offer put forward at the first opportunity.”
What are your thoughts on the 2025-26 pay negotiations?
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