Mid and East Antrim council warns of possible strike action after staff reject pay offer

Some services provided by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council could face disruption later this year after local government staff rejected a 3.3% pay offer, councillors have been told.

Members of the council’s Corporate Resources Policy and Governance Committee received an update on the 2026/27 pay award negotiations at a meeting in The Braid, Ballymena, on Monday evening.

The report covered pay negotiations for council chief executives, chief officers (directors) and staff employed under the National Joint Council (NJC), the UK body through which local government employers and trade unions negotiate pay and conditions.

Staff covered by the NJC were offered a 3.3% pay increase from 1 April 2026, along with a 3.3% increase to all allowances.

However, the offer has been rejected by UNISON, with strike ballots expected to take place in Northern Ireland this autumn.

The GMB also voted to reject the offer and said further consultation will take place at local level. The offer was likewise rejected by Unite.

The committee report warned that it is “possible that some targeted industrial action may impact on council services later in the year”.

It added that the council is “not in a position to affect any further changes” to the nationally negotiated offer.

Meanwhile, the 3.3% pay award for council directors, effective from 1 April 2026, was agreed on 2 June and has already been implemented.

The proposed pay award for chief executives is also a 3.3% increase from 1 April. Although the Association of Local Authority Chief Executives (ALACE), which represents council chief executives, has welcomed the offer, the report said it “will not formally accept until the NJC award has been settled”.

The TaxPayers’ Alliance Town Hall Rich List 2026 lists the salary of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s interim chief executive, Valerie Watts, as £127,500.

Speaking during the meeting, Coast Road DUP councillor Andrew Clarke said:

“We have this pay award. We don’t have any say in it. We can’t control it but we can control our staffing levels. It must be a priority to keep everything as efficient as possible.”

Councillor Clarke also stressed the need to “keep on top” of staffing levels.

Interim chief executive Valerie Watts said staffing levels are discussed regularly as part of the senior management team’s weekly meetings.

The nationally negotiated pay dispute remains unresolved, with the prospect of industrial action now raising the possibility of disruption to some council services across Northern Ireland later this year.