Not all heroes wear capes.

Local authority workers don’t wear capes, but alongside the nation’s other key workers they are the real heroes of the coronavirus crisis. The underpaid, essential workers - the refuse collectors, the care workers and crematorium staff, to name a few - who are risking their lives to keep our communities safe and our loved ones cared for during these unprecedented times.

They deserve to be valued.  They deserve a decent pay rise.

Watch and share our ‘Real Heroes’ film:

Employer’s offer

The local government employers’ ‘final offer of 2.75% for council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is simply not good enough. While it is an improvement on its earlier 2% offer, it falls well short of the 10% pay rise that Unite and our sister unions asked for in our joint pay claim.

Over the last ten years real average wages for council workers have fallen by 22%. For the lowest paid workers – the care staff, refuse collectors and road sweepers– the Employers pay offer works out at between £1.83 - £2.20 extra a day. That’s it, not even enough to buy a cup of coffee and lower than last year’s increase. Our council workers are worth so much more.

Support our campaign

Help support our council workers get the pay rise they deserve: