Category: Equal Pay

Equal Pay Update 2026: Complete Your Case Form & Register for Our AGM (Tue 24 February, from 4pm)

Anti - Racism, Austerity, Barnet Group, Equal Pay, Local, Schools, Solidarity, TBG Flex, UNISON Campaign, Your Choice Barnet

Happy New Year to all Barnet UNISON members.

We’re starting 2026 with real momentum on our Equal Pay campaign. More than 550 UNISON members have now completed the Equal Pay case form — an outstanding achievement and a strong sign of the collective determination of our membership.

But there is more to do.

To protect every member’s position and ensure nobody misses out, we need to make sure all eligible members complete the Equal Pay case form, even if you’re not sure whether the claim applies to you.



Why completing the case form matters


Many members have told us they didn’t think the Equal Pay issue applied to them. However, from conversations with hundreds of staff across the council and related workplaces, it’s clear that people’s roles, patterns of work, job histories, and pay arrangements can differ — and that can affect whether an Equal Pay claim applies.


Completing the case form ensures UNISON has the information needed to assess your situation properly and progress the case.


Is there a deadline?


There is no formal deadline at the moment.

However, that could change quickly, depending on how the process develops. The safest approach is: complete your case form as soon as possible.




Barnet UNISON AGM: Guest speaker on Equal Pay


To help members understand what Equal Pay claims can look like in practice — and what happens when they are resolved — we’re pleased to announce a guest speaker at our AGM:


Barnet UNISON AGM

Tuesday 24 February

From 4pm onwards

(Details of venue/online access will be confirmed in the registration information.)


Guest Speaker: David Hughes (Birmingham UNISON)


We will be joined by David Hughes, Birmingham UNISON and SGE representative for the West Midlands on UNISON’s Local Government Service Group.


David is one of many workers who benefited from the Equal Pay award in Birmingham, where thousands of council staff received payments. He will speak from direct experience about:


    

  • How Equal Pay claims are resolved
    • 

  • How payments are calculated and made
    • 

  • What members can expect during the process
    • 

  • A Q&A session so you can ask your questions directly
    • 



This is a valuable opportunity to hear first-hand from someone who has been through an Equal Pay process and received an Equal Pay payment.




What you need to do now (two actions)


✅ 1) Register for the AGM (required to attend)

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/barnet-unison-annual-general-meeting-2026-hybrid-tickets-1974770786582?aff=oddtdtcreator


 


✅ 2) To request your Equal Pay case form

Email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk


Need help?


If you’re unsure whether this applies to you, or you need support completing the case form, please contact Barnet UNISON and we will help.


Contact the branch at contactus@barnetunison.org.uk


Let’s keep the momentum going. Completing the case form and attending the AGM are two simple actions that strengthen our collective case and help ensure members don’t miss out.


In solidarity,


Barnet UNISON


End.

			

		

		
		


	
		
	

		
		
500+ Barnet workers take a stand for Equal Pay — and we’re just getting started
		
		
 
	
		Austerity, Equal Pay, Local, National, Schools, Solidarity, TBG Flex, UNISON Campaign, Your Choice Barnet	



	
		

			
		
					

			


Barnet UNISON has now collected over 500 Equal Pay claims from members working for London Borough of Barnet (LBB), The Barnet Group (TBG) and Barnet Education and Learning Skills (BELS).


That’s a major milestone — and it matters for one simple reason: when workers act together, we protect each other and we win change. Every new claim signed is another colleague saying: “I won’t be left behind. I won’t be short-changed. I’m standing up for what’s lawful and fair.”


Helen Davies, Barnet UNISON Branch Chair, said:

“Reaching 500 claims shows the strength of feeling among Barnet workers and the power of members standing together. Equal pay is a legal right — not a bonus and not a ‘nice to have’. This campaign is about fairness, dignity, and making sure people—especially those in undervalued roles—aren’t asked to carry on accepting less than they’re lawfully entitled to. If you haven’t submitted your form yet, please don’t wait: it takes less than 10 minutes, and Barnet UNISON will support you every step of the way.”


A growing campaign — powered by members


The momentum is building because more members are hearing the message, asking questions, and talking to colleagues at work. People are realising this isn’t “someone else’s issue” — it’s about protecting your rights and making sure you don’t miss out on what you may be owed under the law.


This campaign is about equal pay for work of equal value. Across local government and related employers, many roles dominated by women have historically been undervalued, while other roles have been rewarded differently — even where the work is comparable in responsibility, effort, skill, and impact. Equal Pay is not a favour. It’s a legal right.


Others are winning — and we can too


Across England and Wales, workers like us have been organising, submitting claims, and winning improved pay and compensation through equal pay campaigns. That’s not happening by accident — it’s happening because union members are doing exactly what Barnet UNISON members are doing now: getting informed, getting organised, and getting their paperwork in.


We’re building the same kind of strength here in Barnet: member by member, workplace by workplace, school by school.


Don’t miss out — act now


If you haven’t completed your case forms yet, this is your moment.


Please don’t lose out. Completing the forms takes less than 10 minutes, and it could make a real difference. Barnet UNISON can support you through the process — and we can also visit workplaces and schools to help members sign up and talk colleagues through it.


✅ To get support, just email: contactus@barnetunison.org.uk


Let’s keep building this campaign — and make sure nobody is left behind.


Complete your forms. Encourage a colleague. Protect your lawful rights.


End.