Local Government Pay Deal Was Agreed In Scotland But In England Unions Still Fighting

6th January 2026

UNISON (often jointly with GMB and Unite) has submitted annual national pay claims for local government/public-sector workers, including care workers in councils/schools.

2026-27 National Joint Council (NJC) Pay Claim.

UNISON & partners are demanding:
Increase of at least £3,000 or 10% across all NJC pay points (whichever is greater)

Minimum hourly rate of £15 for all staff

Extra benefits such as a two-hour working-week reduction with no loss of pay, an extra day of annual leave, and allowance for school support staff to take a paid leave day during term time

This claim covers council staff, support workers and includes roles such as care workers employed under these terms.

This is the headline demand UNISON is pushing to reverse years of real-terms pay cuts and help with recruitment/retention problems.

Care-Specific Campaign

UNISON has also specifically called for a £2,000 pay rise for care workers in England to help tackle the workforce crisis and ensure care workers are paid a fair wage relative to the work they do.

Current Offers vs. Claims

Many employers have responded with lower offers — for example in local government NJC talks:

Employers' pay offer was around 3.2% increase for 2025/26, which UNISON and members felt was below inflation and insufficient.

Where members were balloted on this inadequate offer (e.g., NJC), it showed that the union sought higher pay than the employer is offering.

UNISON in Scotland

Pay negotiations here are devolved — UNISON Scotland negotiates separately for council/local government workers (which include social care roles employed via local authorities):

Local Government Pay Offer (Scotland)

In negotiations, employers (COSLA) and UNISON agreed to a two-year pay deal with:
4% increase for 2025/26
3.5% increase for 2026/27

UNISON recommended accepting this offer, which was above inflation and described as a step forward.
UNISON Scotland

This is a different settlement from the NJC national claim in England, and reflects Scotland's distinct pay talks.

The Scottish local government (COSLA-UNISON) two-year pay deal for council staff — which includes care workers employed directly by local authorities — was formally agreed in early July 2025, when UNISON members voted to accept the offer following negotiations with COSLA.