Pay offer accepted

293 UNISON members voted in the ballot on the new offer, with 170 (58%) voting to accept and 123 (42%) voting to reject. 171 Unite members voted in the ballot, with 120 (70%) to accept and 51 (30%) to reject. The combined result was therefore 290 (62.5%) to accept and 174 (37.5%) to reject out of 464 votes.

This means that the pay offer is accepted, the dispute is over and there will be no further industrial action.

Members can be proud of what has been achieved through the campaign.

On top of the local authority deal, members won:

  • For bands 2-5.1: £750 extra pay rise and £100 non-consolidated lump sum
  • For bands 5.2-6: £750 extra pay rise
  • For bands 7-8: £400 non-consolidated lump sum
  • A review of role profiles for pay points below £14 per hour by 1 April 2025
  • Doubling standby and callout payments, backdated to 1 April 2024
  • Some commitments on equal pay gaps
  • Some improvements in maternity and paternity pay from 1 January 2025
  • Adoption pay to match maternity pay and time off with pay for key meetings
  • A commitment to review family policies by 1 April 2025 to make them cover all the relevant issues

There are some less tangible gains that are also very important. Members proved they were willing to take industrial action, the unions worked effectively together, staff disproved claims that TfGM could only offer what local government got, membership grew rapidly, many more people got involved in the unions, and the workforce became much better informed on family issues which are also now in the public eye due to members’ action.

However, the substantial vote to reject despite the risk that substantial action would be needed shows that many members wanted more, particularly on pay for bands 7 and above and on family policies. Everyone will be watching TfGM closely on their implementation of the family commitments. Initial meetings have been pencilled in for 10 and 24 January.

We need to build on what has been achieved this year. Key to this is continuing to grow the unions. If you aren’t yet a member, please join, and if you are, talk to any colleagues who aren’t yet in a union about what you have achieved and how much more could be achieved with stronger unions.

In the New Year, as well as engaging with the company over the family policies, your reps will start consulting you about what you want in the 2025 pay claim.

UNISON and Unite reps at TfGM

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