Council staff in Flintshire and Wrexham consider strike action over pay
Bin workers, housing officers, teachers and more are balloting for strike action across Wrexham and Flintshire over pay.
Council staff and school workers who are members of the the Unison trade union are considering whether to strike over a proposed pay increase of 3.3% for 2026/27.
Unison has rejected the pay offer, saying it falls well short of restoring the value of staff pay after years of wage decline.
The ballots in Flintshire and Wrexham are part of a broader action against two other Welsh authorities – Swansea Council and Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council – and South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
If strike action is confirmed, it could lead to an autumn of discontent with bin collections, housing allocations, social care and schools across Wrexham and Flintshire suffering disruption.
Wrexham County Branch Secretary for Unison Tracey Sutton-Postlethwaite said: “Council and school workers support children, families and vulnerable residents. They keep services running and hold local communities together.
“After years of pressure on pay and public services, a 3.3% offer is not enough. Workers cannot keep being asked to do more while their pay falls further behind the cost of living.
“This ballot gives Wrexham council and school workers the chance to stand together for fair pay.”
Sarah Taylor, Unison Flintshire’s branch secretary, added: “Two thirds of the Flintshire council workforce are women and a large majority of them are part time and on very low pay.
“Their pay rises have been held back below inflation for so long that working for the council is less attractive and the authority is finding it difficult to recruit.
“This is about fairness and paying people appropriately for their contribution to society and the community services they deliver.”
The news comes just a week after Wrexham Council faced industrial action from teachers at Darland High School in Rossett over the school’s deficit and staff cuts.
Council staff in Wrexham are also considering a walkout over the controversial imposition of a new hybrid working policy by Wrexham County Borough
Council that offers a default one day working from home – despite 90% of staff rejecting the idea during consultation.
Among those on the frontline of public services being asked to consider action are teaching assistants, social workers, waste collection staff, trading standards teams, housing officers and librarians.
The four-week ballot closes on Thursday, August 6. If workers back industrial action, walkouts could begin early in the autumn.
According to the union, council staff have seen the value of their wages fall by an average of around 26% in real terms since 2010.
“Typically a teaching assistant will have seen typical value of their pay fall by an average of £7,000, allowing for inflation, while a housing officer’s wage could be as much as £19,500 less per year,” it said in a statement.
Sue Edwards, a teaching assistant at St Christopher’s School for pupils with additional learning needs in Wrexham, said: “Special educational needs teaching assistants do complex and demanding work every day. Children need skilled, patient support, and demand is growing.
“Staff are passionate about the children they support. But pay does not reflect the responsibility, expertise and commitment the job takes.
“Workers deserve proper recognition and greater financial reward for the vital work they do.”
In reference to Wrexham’s hybrid working situation, Unison says the policy – brought in in April 2025 – was imposed against staff wishes and without proper negotiation.
Unison Cymru regional organiser Merlin Gable said: “Wrexham Council could have resolved the hybrid working dispute months ago.
“Instead, the authority’s leaders have ignored workers’ concerns, refused to meet Unison and pushed ahead with an unfair and unworkable four-day office requirement.
“At the same time, council and school workers across Wrexham have faced year-on-year real-terms pay cuts while demand for their work keeps growing. Staff feel untrusted and undervalued.”
In response to Unison’s call for a strike ballot a Wrexham County Borough Council spokesperson said: “The council is aware that Unison is balloting its members. We respect that and will await the outcome.
“It’s important to note that pay negotiations for local government take place at a national level – they’re not undertaken at a local level by individual councils.
“In terms of Wrexham Council’s hybrid working policy, this was implemented last year and is based on a model where staff work four days in the office or on site each week, with the flexibility to work one day from home.
“This reflects the council’s strong commitment to working in teams, with personal contact, support and team-working a crucial feature of our workplace culture.”
A Flintshire County Council spokesperson said: “The council is aware that Unison is planning to ballot its members regarding possible strike action.
“The ballot forms part of the ongoing national pay discussions, the outcome of which may or may not result in industrial action.”
By Alec Doyle – BBC Local Democracy Reporter
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