Unite the Union Gibraltar

02/09/2026

Unite, the union for workers in Gibraltar, have reacted positively to the announcement as to the Gibraltar Health Authority’s acquisition of The Rooke and the transfer of employees and residents to the new facility.

Officials from Unite the union met with the Minister for Health, the Director General and other GHA senior management to commence initial discussions on the establishment of the new site at The Rooke with the transfer of employees and service users from the current ERS sites at Mount Alvernia and the Cochrane Ward, as well as transferring long stay patients at St Bernard’s to the new premises. It was confirmed that the GHA would be acquiring the Rooke site and the service would remain within the current GHA structure and that there would be no change of employer.

Commitments were provided that largely for employees this only represented a change of workplace, further commitments were provided around filling vacancies with the ERS and that The Rooke would remain as part of the GHA and the public sector under the current Government’s vision for the Health & Care Sector. The announcement will trigger a period of consultation with all stakeholders including Unite where any issues and challenges can be resolved ahead of a planned move later this year.

💬 Stuart Davies, National Officer for Unite Gibraltar stated: “This is really positive news and demonstrates an on-going commitment to maintaining public services and ensuring that these stay rooted where they belong, in the public sector. There were a number of rumours and concerns that an announcement could have involved a private provider which would have been highly problematic so this significant commitment to and investment in the public sector is very welcome.

There will undoubtedly be teething problems and issues that need to be worked through, Unite will be engaging with our members and the GHA to resolve any issues or concerns that arise, but broadly speaking the move to a new, modern facility will be positive for members, residents and their families. A number of reassuring commitments were received in our initial meeting and whilst the union recognises that there will be concerns and anxieties within the membership, we are confident that we will be able to work through these successfully via the regular and planned consultation with the employer."

18/08/2026

Unite is considering approaching Government and other employers in Gibraltar to help find local jobs for the 32 NatWest International employees facing redundancy.

04/08/2026

🚨 Another long-standing Unite the union campaign has delivered a significant result for workers in Gibraltar.

Following the announcement in Budget 2026 that the pension age for men will be equalised with women at 60, HM Government of Gibraltar has now confirmed that the maximum number of social insurance contributions required for men to qualify for a full pension will also be reduced from 2,250 to 2,000, bringing it into line with the requirement for women.

This clarification marks the completion of a key element of Unite's long-running campaign for pension equality and ensures that equal treatment applies not only to the pension age but also to the contribution requirements. When state pension ages are increasing around Europe, HMGOG should be applauded for taking this progressive step. 👏

It is another positive step forward for fairness and equality, delivering a meaningful improvement for current and future pensioners across Gibraltar.

30/07/2026

Public Sector Pay - Unite members vote in favour of five year pay deal.

Unite, the union for workers in Gibraltar, have confirmed today (30th July 2026) on the closure of the public sector pay ballot that Unite members participating in the ballot have voted overwhelmingly to accept the five year pay deal.

On a turnout of 21.5%, 76.2% voted in favour of accepting the five year pay deal and 23.8% voted against, as such Unite have written to the Chief Minister confirming the outcome of the ballot and the collective agreement of Unite to the five year pay solution. Unite will ballot again in 2031 on the second half of the pay proposal which will seek to deliver IRP+1% pay increases to a maximum of 4% for a further five years.

Stuart Davies, National Officer for Unite Gibraltar stated: “Clearly the turnout in the ballot is disappointing and we would have liked to have seen this higher. The feedback that we were receiving was that members were broadly happy with the pay announcement at Budget 2026 and this will have impacted voter participation in the ballot; although it remains an important and fundamental principle that the union ballots on pay. The ballot result is an overwhelming acceptance of the pay proposal by those members voting and HMGOG have been advised of Unite’s collective agreement on public sector pay for 2026/27 to 2030/31.

“This pay agreement has not delivered everything that Unite was seeking, a negotiation never does; however for most of the public sector this pay solution delivers what is an unprecedented agreement that maintains the real terms value of pay over the course of the deal, whilst recovering the historic erosion in the real terms pay since the public sector pay increase in August 2019.

“The journey to this pay agreement started when Unite submitted a public sector pay claim in 2025 for 20%, the reaction to this claim was in some quarters quizzical and a view that this was unachievable. The union was always clear in the pay claim, in all pay correspondence and communications, in all interviews and interactions that the 20% was around tackling real terms losses in pay in that and future pay rounds. When you consider the 5% pay increase in 2025/26 for most public sector employees and the 12.5% real terms loss of pay recovery across the next five years, then that amounts to 17.5% and at the same time pay will keep pace with inflation across the lifetime of the pay deal, meaning a 30% increase across six years, that pay claim has been largely vindicated.

“There are still some outstanding elements of public sector pay which the union is following up with HMGOG and further discussions pending with Government on the Superannuation Fund and allowances, also the public sector pay solution has not delivered equally for all and we continue to have dialogue with HMGOG on that differentiated application.

“I would like acknowledge HMGOG for the commitment that has been shown to the public sector and those that work within the service with such a progressive pay solution delivering IRP increases, with safeguards incorporated in the event that IRP sits above 2.5% and of course the mechanism for the recovery of real terms losses in pay. I have been critical of the negotiation process at times, but ultimately the destination is more important than the route taken and a decent destination has been reached. We now look forward to engaging positively with HMGOG on a plethora of non-public sector pay issues.

“Finally I would like to extend my thanks to the Unite Public Sector Pay Working Group who have engaged with and driven this agenda since the back-end of 2024 when we first started formulating the pay claim for 2025/26 and Unite’s members for their support, feedback and participation with the public sector pay process”.

16/07/2026

🚨 Public Sector Pay Ballot opened today at 9am with an E-Ballot until midnight on Sunday 26th July.

🗳️ This will be followed by a physical ballot in the Unite Office from 10am on Monday 27th July to 4pm on Thursday 30th July.

If you do not receive an E-Ballot, please contact the office on [email protected] or 20074185 and a voting link will be sent to you.

Please cast your vote and ensure that your voice is heard in this important ballot.

07/07/2026

Budget 2026 – Progressive budget provisions for both the public and private sectors; although more work to be done says Unite

Unite, the union for workers in Gibraltar, have broadly welcomed the Chief Minister’s final budget speech today (7th July 2026) which delivers on a number of key areas for Unite members in the public and private sectors; although there remain outstanding issues and points that require further dialogue.

Stuart Davies, National Officer for Unite the union Gibraltar stated: “I would firstly like to congratulate the Chief Minister on delivering his final Budget speech which contains a number of progressive elements that will benefit those living and working in Gibraltar not just now, but into the future. The public sector pay proposal, whilst not delivering on all that Unite were seeking is certainly unprecedented and delivers on some of the commitments within Unite’s 2025 Dispute Resolution Agreement around the recovery of real terms losses in pay, which members will now be balloted on. There do remain some points for further dialogue and clarification; however the automatic and annual mapping of the Gibraltar minimum entry salary to the UK at 1st April each year is welcomed and follows the agreement Unite signed with HMGOG last month on this matter for the period 1st April 2025 to 31s March 2026.

“Despite the contents of the Budget speech, Unite have certainly not agreed in principle a moratorium on sectoral claims and such a proposal was rejected by Unite. The union has repeatedly stated that it wants to concentrate public monies available into public sector pay, but cannot be restricted from departmental or sectoral claims that are meritorious and well founded. Also whilst the negotiation process has been markedly improved from the 2025/26 engagement, it has still fallen below what Unite would expect from a robust negotiating procedure which has left the union with outstanding points, matters of clarification and a requirement for further dialogue.

“The union has long argued that the minimum wage has been too low; however it would be churlish to not welcome the £10 per hour minimum wage which will provide a significant boost to lowest paid working in Gibraltar; although Unite maintains that more needs to be done in the private sector, around the Living Wage, improved minimum employment standards and tackling Zero Hours Contracts.

“The equalisation of the pension age for men down to 60 so as they share the same pension age as women cannot be underestimated. When almost every other country in Europe is increasing their state pension ages for both men and women, in some cases to almost 70, then the gravity of this announcement is highly significant. It is reversing a trend across other developed countries of making those that contribute towards funding pensions, work longer to receive that pension. Unite have long campaigned for this equalisation and HMGOG should be applauded for this announcement.

The union will now commence the process of consulting with members and balloting on the public sector pay proposals.

02/07/2026

Businesses employing between 15 and 50 employees now need to have a compliant workplace pension scheme in place.

Employers now have a 90-day window, until the 30th of September, to register their pension scheme with the Pensions Commissioner.

02/07/2026

Regional Officer Louis Gonzalez has issued a statement in response to recent comments made in Parliament regarding the Critical Care Unit (CCU) review.

In his statement, Louis highlights the importance of ensuring that staff concerns are properly acknowledged and that commitments made following the review are translated into meaningful action.

The statement reiterates the need for transparency, clear implementation plans and demonstrable progress, while recognising the importance of constructive engagement to improve workplace culture and staff confidence.

Louis also emphasises that staff must have confidence that concerns raised through the appropriate channels will be taken seriously and lead to meaningful organisational improvement.

📄 Read the full statement below.

01/07/2026

Last week, a delegation from Unite South East Region, including Regional Secretary Bob Middleton and Regional Officers Kushi Hussein and Chris Deacon, visited Gibraltar.

The visit provided an important opportunity to engage directly with staff and reps, discuss the issues affecting workers in Gibraltar and share experiences and best practice from across the wider union.

The delegation also met with The Hon. Gemma Arias-Vasquez MP, Minister for Health, to discuss matters affecting workers and the importance of maintaining strong and constructive relationships between Unite, employers and government.

The visit highlighted the value of collaboration across our union, helping to strengthen support for members in Gibraltar and ensuring local priorities continue to benefit from the experience, resources and solidarity of the wider Unite family.

By strengthening links between Unite South East and Unite Gibraltar, the visit will help deliver greater collaboration, knowledge sharing and support for members while reinforcing our collective commitment to improving working conditions, protecting jobs and securing better outcomes for working people.

A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to meet with the delegation and contribute to the discussions.

✊ Together, we are building a stronger union and a stronger voice for workers.