A ballot has begun that could see council workers take strike action unless local government bosses increase pay by 2%.
The decision of the ballot could see up to 10,000 council workers take strike action later this summer.
Trade union GMB will send a statutory notice to Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) chiefs on 30 May to inform them that a ballot of all members in schools, early years and waste and cleansing services in councils has started.
The ballot will run from 6 June to 26 July, in response to COSLA’s 2% pay offer against all local government pay grades for 2022/23.
The union argued that it would equate to “massive real terms pay cuts for frontline workers and disproportionately award the biggest increases to the highest earners in councils”.
GMB Scotland senior organiser Keir Greenaway, said: “Tens of thousands of the lowest paid staff in local government will go from the frontline of public service delivery to below the breadline unless their pay confronts soaring inflation and eye-watering energy bills.
“But instead of recognising the scale of the challenge and rising to meet it, political leaders are sleeping at the wheel and blaming each other for their inability to address it – it’s a far cry from their doorstep applause every Thursday night only two years ago.
“Unless COSLA comes back to the negotiating table with a vastly improved offer that reflects the fact our members are working in the biggest cost-of-living crisis in 40 years then industrial action looks inevitable.”
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