diff --git a/.github/workflows/fmt-check.yml b/.github/workflows/fmt-check.yml
index e4d39acabfd776b67ac37df28b0905b0517967ef..99ac5120097d1d888b0c9207621433cc93a950c2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/fmt-check.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/fmt-check.yml
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ jobs:
         os: ["ubuntu-latest"]
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
     container:
-      image: paritytech/ci-unified:bullseye-1.73.0-2023-11-01-v20231025
+      image: paritytech/ci-unified:bullseye-1.74.0-2023-11-01-v20231204
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@b4ffde65f46336ab88eb53be808477a3936bae11 # v4.1.1
 
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 53f723dd6c73d64ccb47625368aee56faab2355a..dc4b3cf162e177a2ce15e1cf943c788237db2f81 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ workflow:
     - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH
 
 variables:
-  CI_IMAGE: "docker.io/paritytech/ci-unified:bullseye-1.74.0-2023-11-01-v20231204"
+  CI_IMAGE: !reference [.ci-unified, variables, CI_IMAGE]
   # BUILDAH_IMAGE is defined in group variables
   BUILDAH_COMMAND: "buildah --storage-driver overlay2"
   RELENG_SCRIPTS_BRANCH: "master"
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ default:
   tags:
     - linux-docker
 
-# 
+#
 .forklift-cache:
   before_script:
     - 'curl --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: $FL_CI_GROUP_TOKEN" -o forklift  -L "${CI_API_V4_URL}/projects/676/packages/generic/forklift/${FL_FORKLIFT_VERSION}/forklift_${FL_FORKLIFT_VERSION}_linux_amd64"'
@@ -124,19 +124,19 @@ default:
     - mkdir .forklift
     - cp $FL_FORKLIFT_CONFIG .forklift/config.toml
     - export FORKLIFT_PACKAGE_SUFFIX=${CI_JOB_NAME/ [0-9 \/]*}
-    - shopt -s expand_aliases    
+    - shopt -s expand_aliases
     - export PATH=$PATH:$(pwd)
     - |
       if [ "$FORKLIFT_BYPASS" != "true" ]; then
       echo "FORKLIFT_BYPASS not set, creating alias cargo='forklift cargo'"
       alias cargo="forklift cargo"
       fi
-    - ls -al 
-    - rm -f forklift.sock 
+    - ls -al
+    - rm -f forklift.sock
     - forklift clean
     #
     - echo "FL_FORKLIFT_VERSION ${FL_FORKLIFT_VERSION}"
-    - echo "FORKLIFT_PACKAGE_SUFFIX $FORKLIFT_PACKAGE_SUFFIX"  
+    - echo "FORKLIFT_PACKAGE_SUFFIX $FORKLIFT_PACKAGE_SUFFIX"
 
 .common-refs:
   rules: