Youth and Community Workers Pay Claim (Pink Book)

Joint union (Pink Book) Pay claim: 2026/27

Unite and the other joint unions submitted a pay claim for 2026/27 to the Local Government Association (LGA) on 19 May. Please click here to read the full (Pink Book) pay claim.

The key elements of the claim are:

1. A substantial pay rise of 10% to ensure that lowest paid youth worker wage remains significantly above the minimum wage of £12.71 an hour.
   
   
2. To confirm the specific wording to be included in the JNC National Agreement (“The Pink Book”) to reflect the JNC’s commitment to maintaining Youth Workers as a degree-led profession. Also to reflect the importance of the level 6 qualification and its parity with other professions in accordance with the commitment given in the LGA’s Youth and Community Workers – Pay 2025 letter dated 23 September 2025.
   
   
3. A 37 hours a year mandatory CPD to address and identify skill gaps within the service and to support workers dealing with increasingly complex challenges faced by young people.
   
   
4. To address work-life balance and time off in lieu by:

1. Each working week (that does not include a residential) to include two consecutive days that are designated as non-working days. Any TOIL accrued for residential work should be separate from the designated non-working days.
2. Reducing the standard working week for full-time youth and community workers to 35-hours, with sufficient time for planning and admin, and with a further commitment to work towards a four-day week without loss of pay.
3. Opportunities should be created for workers to reduce the number of evening sessions worked with twilight sessions on a regular basis to improve work life balance.
4. A twilight session is defined as a single session of work commencing after 3.30pm and will be recognised as fulfilling an evening session requirement. Workers will not be required or expected to undertake an additional evening session on the same day.
5. Sufficient protected time must be built into the working day following a twilight session to ensure that any safeguarding concerns, welfare issues, or significant events arising during the session are recorded, reported, and responded to in a timely manner. 

What next? 

Firstly, the LGA will consult with its members - council leaders and local government employers-on the pay claim. Negotiations between the joint unions and the LGA will begin on Thursday 18 June at the Youth and Community Workers Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) meeting. The LGA has already said that it will respond to our claim fully by no later than mid-July 2026. 

Stay updated!

Check back for regular updates. We'll issue updates after every JNC meeting and members will be consulted on any outcomes. Please make sure that your membership contact details are up-to-date here