Some care workers in Wales are still waiting for the real living wage! Emma is a support worker in Neath and Port Talbot. She has done this job for 14 years. She loves it but she is still being paid minimum wage. The Welsh Government promised care workers the real living wage.

NHS pay: 3.3% isn’t enough 📉 Welsh Government has accepted a 3.3% pay award for NHS staff from 1 April 2026. Ministers say this is above CPI inflation at 3%. But CPI does not include housing costs, rail fares or mobile contracts. When those essentials are included, inflation is 3.8%.

NHS staff in Wales are facing another real terms pay cut. The 3.3% pay award announced yesterday is below inflation and will leave nurses, healthcare assistants, porters and catering staff worse off.

UNISON Cymru is recruiting a BSOF local organiser to build union strength with school support staff across Wales. This is an exciting opportunity to organise, grow membership and help school staff win on pay, term time only issues and workplace challenges.

Heart Unions week is about what unions mean for workers today. ❤️ At work, people face pressure on pay, workloads and conditions, with decisions often made without workers’ voices being heard. On your own, it can feel hard to challenge that.

Care workers in Neath Port Talbot have spent eight months raising concerns about pay with their employers and the local council. They are still waiting for the Real Living Wage that should be guaranteed to every care worker in Wales.

Edith is a care worker in Cardiff speaking about the reality many care workers face. Long shifts, early starts and late finishes, with care workers sometimes paid for far fewer hours than they work. The pressure, exhaustion and financial strain are widespread across the sector.

Heart Unions week is a chance to remember how workers have improved life at work. ❤️ Rights many of us now take for granted, like paid holidays, maternity pay, equal pay for women, the minimum wage and safer workplaces, exist because workers came together in trade unions and pushed for change.

Work at Wrexham Council or know someone who does? Council staff are standing up for a fair, workable approach to hybrid working and asking to be listened to. cymru-wales.unison.org.uk/campaigns/de...

“I am a home care worker on a care visa, and I give care to people in their homes.” In this video, Edith, a home care worker in Cardiff, speaks about long shifts, unsafe conditions and the exploitation faced by migrant care workers.

On Saturday, the First Minister announced a pledge to fix year-round pay for school support staff across Wales if re-elected in May. This commitment exists because school support staff raised their voices and campaigned through UNISON.

UNISON president Catherine McKenna addressed UNISON Cymru's Regional Council in Llandudno last week. The council brought together delegates from branches across Wales to discuss priorities and plans for the year ahead.

Today’s Cymru Labour Link Forum brought together UNISON activists and Labour representatives to focus on what working people need from the next Welsh government. The most important announcement of the day was a major commitment on school support staff pay from First Minister Eluned Morgan.🌹

Branch officers across Cymru are invited to take part in the UNISON Cymru welfare seminar day in Cardiff this March. This practical, interactive session focuses on strengthening how you and your colleagues support members and their families when life gets tough.

Today’s announcement could make a huge difference for school support workers. It would put more money in the pockets of thousands of our lowest paid members in Wales. 😍 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A huge step forward for migrant care workers. Cardiff Council has now signed the migrant care workers charter, becoming the first council in Wales to do so. 🌹 This is a clear commitment to fair pay, ethical recruitment and action against exploitation in adult social care.

Andrea Egan begins her five-year term as UNISON general secretary. 💬 ‘We will put faith in members’ decisions and stand up to any employer, politician or cabinet minister who acts against our interests’ Read here ⬇️ unsn.uk/49zUb6C

Cardiff is set to become the first council in Wales to back a UNISON charter protecting migrant care workers from exploitation. 👏

Large parts of Wales have been snowed in following Storm Goretti. A huge thank you to all carers, public service and social care workers, and our UNISON members who are keeping essential services running in incredibly difficult conditions.

A new year brings new challenges and new chances to win together. In 2026, public service workers across Wales will keep pushing for fair pay, safe staffing and properly funded services. When members organise, things change. Here’s to a year of solidarity. ✊

As 2025 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on what public service workers across Wales have faced and won together. From NHS pay justice to progress for school support workers, members stood together under real pressure and made change happen. We’re also now UNISON Cymru. 🎉

Local government workers keep communities going, often without recognition. In rural areas like Powys, preventative services matter, but underfunding puts people and communities at risk. John Byrne, branch secretary, Powys County UNISON. unsn.uk/apsereport

Quality care depends on experience and training. Council workers continually improve services so people receive modern, effective care, but this relies on proper funding. John Lane, dementia care worker, Newport city council. unsn.uk/apsereport

Local government services are part of everyday life. Council staff deliver vital support for everyone, especially the most vulnerable, but this work depends on fair and proper funding. Gwawr Eilian, branch secretary, UNISON Gwynedd, Môn a Prifysgol Bangor. unsn.uk/apsereport

Local authority budgets are under huge pressure. Councils deliver essential services every day, often unnoticed, but without proper funding communities will lose what they rely on most. Jan Davies, chair, UNISON Cymru local government committee. unsn.uk/apsereport

Special schools run on skill, care and commitment. Budget cuts mean fewer staff, rising needs, and support staff struggling to get by, while pupils with complex needs lose vital support. Vikki Giles, higher level teaching assistant. unsn.uk/apsereport

This Christmas, we want to say thank you to public service workers across Wales. Many of you will be working through the festive period. Others are enjoying the day off because trade unions fought for workers to enjoy much needed time away from the pressures of work.

Local services depend on the people who deliver them. Workers are being asked to do more with less, but passion alone cannot keep services running. Proper investment can. Denise Owen, branch secretary, Ceredigion UNISON. unsn.uk/apsereport

On BBC Wales yesterday, UNISON member and teaching assistant Jan Murray and UNISON Cymru head of schools Rosie Lewis spoke about the reality of life for school support staff in Wales.

On 17 December, migrant care workers from across Wales went to Parliament to speak out about unfair visa rules. Some MPs were not able to hear directly from their constituents. This video shares what UNISON member Ifeoma wanted to say to @andrewranger-mp.bsky.social about the care worker visa. ✊🏽

Your UNISON Wrapped 2025 📊💜 Thank you to all our members, activists, branches and staff for a fantastic year. Here's to a successful 2026.

Underfunding in schools shows up every day. Fewer staff, fewer resources, and pupils missing the support they need, while good staff leave because pay is so low. Amanda Price, teaching assistant. unsn.uk/apsereport

It’s the first week of the Christmas holidays and many teaching assistants are not being paid. While schools celebrate festive performances and classroom magic, teaching assistants are worrying about how to cover the cost of Christmas for their own families. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Keeping communities clean and safe is essential work. It will always be needed and must be properly funded so services can be delivered to a high standard. Logan Toy, cleansing worker, Caerphilly council. unsn.uk/apsereport

Care staff from every Walsingham Support service in Neath Port Talbot have written to chief executive Holly Spiers and the board asking them to reconsider their refusal to pass on the Real Living Wage to care staff in Wales. This is meant to be the minimum pay for care workers in Wales. ☃️

Social work is about trust at the hardest moments. Chronic underfunding means unmanageable caseloads, staff shortages and families not getting the support they need. Evelyn Williams, social worker. unsn.uk/apsereport

Local government touches almost every part of our lives. With proper funding, councils can support communities, create good jobs, and build a fairer, more resilient future. Lianne Dallimore, branch secretary, Caerphilly UNISON. unsn.uk/apsereport

Good care depends on time, staff and funding. Chronic underfunding is exhausting care workers and leaving people without the support they deserve. Denise Thomas, support worker, adult social care. unsn.uk/apsereport

Local government cannot run on goodwill alone. Without proper funding, councils will be forced to cut jobs and outsource services when communities need them most. Mark Fisher, branch secretary, Neath Port Talbot UNISON. unsn.uk/apsereport

Care staff from every @autisticsociety.bsky.social service in Neath Port Talbot have written to chief executive Caroline Stevens and the board asking them to reconsider their refusal to pass on the Real Living Wage to care staff in Wales.

Yesterday, migrant care workers from Wales travelled to Westminster with UNISON to demand change. They joined more than a thousand care workers calling for urgent action to fix a visa system that is driving exploitation and modern slavery across the care sector.

Hundreds of overseas staff working in social care and the NHS travelled to Westminster today to lobby MPs over plans to restrict visa rules for care workers. Follow updates here ⬇️ unsn.uk/3MLAeAz

We launched our important new report today, examining the true cost of 15 years of cuts to local services in Wales. The message from every speaker was the same: councils have been cut to the bone.

UNISON members have elected Andrea Egan as the union’s next general secretary. Full details and turnout information are available here ⬇️ unsn.uk/43AqMWf

Care workers keep our communities going. They deserve safety, stability and fair pay. This year, 50 UNISON Cymru care workers from 35 employers across Wales have shared their experiences with members of Parliament, a council leader and the Welsh Government’s social care minister.

UNISON Cymru members have chosen the winning design in our all-Wales artwork competition and we’re delighted to announce that the winner is Yasmin Warrey. 🎨

Come to the UNISON Cymru Welfare Seminar Day on 24 March 2026! 📢 Calling all branch welfare officers. Join us in Cardiff for a day of practical training, updates and support to help you and your colleagues make the most of There for You. Book your place today. Email [email protected]. 🎅

Heddiw yw'r cyfle olaf i bleidleisio dros boster coffaol cyntaf UNISON Cymru. Byddwch yn rhan o'r foment hanesyddol hon. Gwiriwch eich mewnflwch a phleidleisiwch heddiw. 🎨

Today is the last chance to vote for the first commemorative UNISON Cymru poster. Your email contains your unique link to vote for one of the three designs created by Welsh artists. The winning artwork will be professionally printed and displayed in UNISON Cymru offices and branches across Wales. 🎨

Mae dyluniad Emma Smith yn dathlu undod, gwydnwch a hunaniaeth Gymreig. Mae draig goch yn codi uwchben dyffrynnoedd a strydoedd teras, gyda symbolau o wreiddiau dosbarth gweithiol Cymru wedi'u gwehyddu drwyddo draw. Mae'r wawr yn cynrychioli gobaith ar y cyd a'r gred ein bod yn codi gyda'n gilydd.