Strike action will see school closures and waste piling up on the streets, trade union leaders warned this week.
Dumfries and Galloway Council workers, along with local authority employees across Scotland, are being balloted for a strike over pay.
About 25,000 staff working in schools, nurseries, waste and recycling centres Scotland-wide will be asked to consider industrial action.
Unison has demanded immediate action from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Finance Secretary Kate Forbes over the pay dispute.
After Ms Forbes “respectfully declined” to get involved in the row, Unison, Unite and GMB unions urged members to vote to strike. The ballot will close on
July 26.
J’an Andrews, secretary of the regional branch of Unison, said: “It’s no wonder our local government workers feel undervalued.
“After years of declining pay and cuts to local government budgets, it’s time for COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) and the Scottish Government to get round the table to ensure sufficient funding is available to give our local government workers the fair and decent pay rise they deserve.”
If workers vote for industrial action then strikes could begin in August, disrupting the beginning of the new school term.
The trade unions warn that if the dispute is not swiftly resolved then walkouts will “close schools across the country and see waste piling up on the streets”.
COSLA, the umbrella body representing employers, has offered a two per cent increase. But with inflation at a 40-year high and topping 11 per cent, union leaders argue that this represents a pay cut.
Johanna Baxter, Unison head of local government, said: “People seem to have forgotten who kept our country going during the past few years – these workers are the ones who kept childcare hubs open so other key workers could get to work, they cared for our most vulnerable and buried our dead.
“They went above and beyond in service to our communities and deserve to be paid fairly.”
Ms Forbes, the finance secretary, wrote to Unison on Thursday and said: “It would not be appropriate to interfere in these negotiations, given their devolved nature”.
Holyrood insists that pay settlements for council workers – excluding teachers – are the responsibility of COSLA and are determined through negotiations at the Scottish Joint Committee (SJC).
A spokesman said: “We would encourage the parties to maintain dialogue and stay at the table to reach agreement.”
But it said it was “deeply disappointed” that the First Minister and Finance Secretary had refused the request by council leaders to engage in discussions over the current funding settlement for local government.
