The Government notes with regret Unite the Union’s decision to call for strike action in response to the public sector pay measures announced in this year’s Budget.

This Government has just delivered the second largest public sector pay increase in Gibraltar’s history, even as we continue to recover from the unprecedented and generational economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Entry-level salaries have risen by more than 25% between 2023 and 2025, ensuring that the lowest earners are protected, while layered increases across the scales have balanced fairness for workers with responsibility to taxpayers. Public sector salaries today remain on average over 20% higher than the national average, more than £7,000 above the private sector average and over £12,000 above the Ministry of Defence average. The average public sector salary in Gibraltar in 2023 was £42,722, compared to £36,051 in the national economy and £35,430 in the private sector.

These improvements have been achieved through constructive industrial relations, and conversations had already begun about how to continue the process of restoring purchasing power for public servants in the years ahead.

In this context, the confrontational position taken by Unite, which threatens strike action that would bring Gibraltar and its public services to its knees, is completely unreasonable. The Government will not act irresponsibly with public money and it will not allow this community to be held to ransom.

The Government further notes that the mandate obtained by Unite for this industrial action is deeply flawed in both its form and its wording. Turnout in the ballot was only 48 percent, meaning fewer than one in two members voted. This means that the strike call does not represent a majority of Unite’s membership, yet it is now being used as the basis to threaten disruption to vital services, including the Hospital, Schools, Care and Emergency Services. It is also clear from feedback that many public servants themselves consider this position disproportionate.

It is particularly disappointing that certain elements within Unite appear determined to pursue confrontation for its own sake, allowing their hostility to the Government to take precedence over the genuine interests of their members and of the wider community.

While other unions in the public sector have been constructive and responsible in recognising the value of the Budget settlement and the need to safeguard Gibraltar’s long-term economic stability without giving up on continuous dialogue with Government, Unite continues to act in a manner that is erratic, unreasonable and unpredictable.

The Government reiterates that healthy industrial relations are built on dialogue, fairness and responsibility, not on unreasonable strong-arming of the community. The Government will not allow the public purse or Gibraltar’s vital public services to be placed in jeopardy as a result of the ill-advised and adversarial approach currently being pursued by Unite Gibraltar.

All those who choose to follow the dictates of the union leadership and absent themselves from work will unfortunately have their pay docked accordingly. The Government respectfully calls on all Unite members who do not agree with this confrontational stance to attend their workplaces, which will remain open, and to report any undue attempts to pressure them into joining industrial action. While the Government respects Unite and its members, it cannot recognise the union under its current leadership, which has consistently behaved in a manner that is aggressive, adversarial and unreasonable.

The Government also wishes to make clear that, as stated in Unite’s circular to its members, National Day should be only about our national identity and our international recognition as a people. Any attempt to hijack the day for unrelated claims will be viewed very badly by the vast majority of our community and would be hugely disappointing.