News and updates
It's official:
We're in dispute
STAFF UNIONS have formally declared an industrial dispute with UNISON over pay, the TU side announces. All three staff unions — ACTS, SUE and NUJ — delivered tub-thumping rejections of the employer’s 3.4% offer, averaging an 82% No on an 85% turnout. Despite the huge vote, UNISON has continued to drag its feet on negotiations, say the unions. TU side reps told management of the consultation timeline well in advance and suggested a meeting could be booked in to discuss the results of the staff vote before the consultation even opened. Yet management negotiators made no apparent effort to save space in their diaries after the result at the end of the February. Instead, the next pay meeting won’t take place until 27 March, more than a month after unions’ consultations closed. Trade union side secretary Abby Kimantas has written to UNISON formally declaring a dispute and warning the employer that constituent unions are preparing industrial action ballots. She said: “Staff couldn’t have made their feelings about this pay offer much clearer: it’s not good enough. “UNISON pay has lost more than a quarter of its value over the last decade, yet it’s the organisation that pleads poverty. “It’s high time management negotiators took staff and their concerns seriously. They need to stop kicking the can down the road and come up with a decent offer.” Staff unions have also raised concerns over misleading communications from the employer during the pay consultation.
Members overwhelmingly reject pay offer
On an 85% turnout. NEC-employed staff have voted by an overwhelming 85% to reject UNISON's 2026 pay offer. In relaying the result to HR, trade union side secretary, Abby Kimantas, wrote: Dear Carly I’m writing in response to your pay offer dated 5 February. The staff trade unions’ pay consultation closed earlier today and I can now report the aggregate results across the three unions as follows: Turnout (NEC employed members): 85% Vote to reject: 82% For information, branch employed staff whose pay awards mirror/are affected by UNISON’s awards were also consulted, with an overall vote to reject. Members have been clear that a sub-inflation rise not only amounts to a real-terms pay cut, but also does nothing to address the long standing issue of real-terms pay erosion, currently sitting at an average of 28%. Members have voiced strong concerns to the staff unions about the approach taken by the employer during the consultation and what has been seen as unnecessary interference in the unions’ process. The level of comms and campaigning by the employer is simply not seen in pay negotiations in our day jobs, where ordinarily an employer will allow the recognised unions to conduct their consultation on an offer and await the results. We have been asked to make the following points in respect of the employer’s communications on pay: •That it is disingenuous to suggest that there have been ‘several months of negotiations’ – there were only three meetings, one of which was solely for the employer to present an initial offer, and the length of time taken was mainly due to delays on the management side, •That the management side letter failed to address some elements of the claim, •That describing the offer as being an average of 4.6% is disingenuous, and misleading especially for staff not familiar with pay awards/negotiations, •That the graphics produced are misleading due to selecting the top of each grade. Whilst we obviously remain open to reconvening pay talks, given the strong message of rejection from our members, the three unions are now making preparations for a co-ordinated industrial action ballot. Abby Kimantas Trade Union Side Secretary
Our UNITE colleagues working for other unions taking strike action
Staff, also organised by UNITE, in both the National Education Union (NEU) and University & College Union (UCU), have been forced to take strike action this month in long-running disputes.
It is time our unions stopped treating its staff in ways they criticise other employers for using against trade unionists we organise amongst and represent in our daily jobs.
Futher details can be found at the UNITE website by hitting the appropriate link (see right).
NEU
UCU
Branch Employed Staff questionnaire sent out by the branch
An information questionnaire was sent out to senior stewards for onward circulation to out BES members on 19 January 2026. If you haven't received this by the end of the month, please contact your senior steward as a matter of urgency. The questionnaire is a simple one to be completed online checking we have your correct details currently.
Pensions update
It has come to our attention that there have been some recent technical changes to the UNISON Pension Scheme. These technical changes are outside member / employer control and are not subject to consultation with the staff trade unions. They do not affect any of the main scheme benefits or how your pension builds up over time (the benefits that have been fully consulted on). This kind of actuarial amendment to the scheme can affect early retirement factors (penalties for retiring early) and commutation rates (the calculation used to exchange pension for lump sum where requested). Neither of these are counted as ‘scheme benefits’. They fall under ‘technical provisions’. These changes can occur from time to time as part of the legal requirement for scheme actuaries to regularly review the technical provisions of the scheme. Anyone getting a forecast from the online calculator sees a caveat explaining that the figures are subject to change, and this is because of the potential for these provisions to be regularly reviewed and subject to change. The recent changes took effect from 1st December 2025. If you obtained a forecast from the calculator before that time, please note the figures given will have changed. Anyone who is within 12 months of retirement (From 1st December 2025 to 30th November 2026) and who can demonstrate that they have informed the organisation (Pensions Unit, HR or Manager) will not be affected. We have communicated with the trustees about how such significant changes will be communicated to members in the future and they have committed to discussing this at a future trustee Board meeting.
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Equal pay audit delayed
The search is on for UNISON’s equal pay audit. UNISON committed to commissioning the audit every three years to ensure its complying with the law and good practice. The last audit in 2021 said other key purposes were to “demonstrate to staff our commitment to fairness and equity” and “demonstrate our values to our staff and other key stakeholders”. A joint working committee is supposed to consider the report and make recommendations based on it. The report should have been published in May 2024 but it is unclear how far along the commissioning process it is.
HR: no way of knowing spend on consultants
UNISON has no apparent idea how much it spends on consultants, the TU side has learned. Staff side unions asked for a breakdown of consultant and freelancer costs as part of understanding the union’s overall payroll obligations in September. But no information has been shared with reps. Finance and human resources have said that the costs are included in departmental budgets and as such there is therefore no way to establish an overall spend. TU side secretary Abby Kimantas said: “It’s incomprehensible that UNISON has no way of tracking how much it’s spending across the organisation on consultants or freelancers. “There are of course scenarios where it’s right to bring in outside expertise. “But it’s far more expensive than employing people directly and means we’re denying existing staff the chance to boost their skills. “This spending needs to be transparent so that it can be properly understood and monitored.”
Branch employed staff in Lancashire reach settlement after strike action over pay
Branch employed staff members in Lancashire have reached a settlement with their employing branch. As soon as we are able, all ACTS members will be updated of all the relevant details via this website.
Staffing review: it's not a done deal
The staffing review is slowly inching towards completion, though perhaps it’s not quite as near the end as a recent pearl update would lead you to believe. The message – which was not agreed with the staff trade unions — suggested harmony reigns and we are close to implementing the changes. But very little has been agreed so far – the only thing that has been agreed is that this is not a cost-cutting exercise and there will be no redundancies as a result. Nothing else is close enough to completion to start consulting on and there will be a full consultation before any recommendations come into effect. Further, any new roles mooted will need to go through UNISON’s agreed job evaluation process to be properly graded by trained reps from management and the trade union sides. This includes the caseworker role which has been floated and the new apprentice organiser role, which would need significant discussion before it’s brought in, says the staff unions. There would be no need to evaluate the workplace organiser post, as this is just a rebranding of local organisers and no significantly new ways of working are being suggested. Progress in the work on regions has been “bumpy”, but has been made, according to staff side secretary Abby Kimatas. But a private consultant has been brought in to complete the work on UNISON Centre, prompting concerns from the trade union side about full consultation and engagement. “We’re concerned that external don’t always fully understand what different departments at head office do, so it’s important staff are fully engaged with the process.”