They follow the recent submission of claims on behalf of several groups who remain without a deal for 2026, including public service employees, prison officers, and firefighters at the airport and town brigades.
Unite is part of a separate request for a 5.7% rise for workers in the health service, but declined to disclose details of its latest claim, which was submitted following consultation with its members.
‘Those claims reflect direct feedback from members about pay, cost-of-living pressures and wider workforce concerns, and have been formally presented to the employer,’ said Unite’s regional officer Laura Bichard.
‘Progress has been slower than we would have liked, primarily due to delays in dates being set for meaningful negotiations. However, discussions are now under way.
‘The employer’s approach to date has been to listen to the unions’ position, which is a necessary starting point, and we are awaiting a formal response to the claims submitted.’
The Policy & Resources Committee said in January that it hoped to finalise agreements by the end of March with all seven staff groups who remain on their 2025 rates.
The employees involved received a 5% increase from 1 January last year, in line with other public sector workers. But they were not part of a longer-term deal which provided most staff, including civil servants and police officers, with an increase of 3.7% at the start of this year, in line with the rate of inflation in June.
‘As soon as the employer tables proposals for all groups represented by Unite, they will be put to members through Unite’s democratic balloting processes,’ said Ms Bichard.
‘Our priority is to secure a fair deal that reflects members’ value and puts money into their pockets as soon as possible. We remain focused on achieving an agreement at the earliest opportunity so that any uplift can be implemented without unnecessary delay.’
P&R wants to start discussions between April and June on pay and conditions for 2027, which may indicate a preference for a single-year deal covering only 2026 in the negotiations taking place currently, although Unite was keeping an open mind.
‘We remain open to discussions about the length of any deal,’ said Ms Bichard.
‘Any agreement, including whether it is single-year or multi-year, will ultimately be determined by our members, and our position will be guided by what they believe delivers the best outcome and certainty for them.’