Schools could stay shut after the summer holidays and rubbish could pile high after council staff voted for strike action amid a pay dispute. Workers in the Unison, GMB and Unite trade unions voted to reject a “measly” two per cent pay offer by local authority bosses.
Unions and employers have been at loggerheads for months over an offer that is significantly below inflation. Council umbrella group COSLA say they cannot afford to increase the offer and have called on the Scottish Government to stump up more money.
School staff, including cleaners and janitors, as well as workers in waste and recycling services, have now backed strike action.
Unison members in nine local authority areas - Glasgow, Orkney, Aberdeenshire, East Renfrewshire, North and South Lanarkshire, Clackmannanshire, Stirling and Inverclyde - met the turnout threshold required by Tory legislation.
Action by GMB members could see schools in council areas including Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and Renfrewshire closing if strike action is taken.
Unite members in 26 councils voted for industrial action.
Johanna Baxter, head of local government at Unison, said: “COSLA leaders meet on Friday and must put an improved offer on the table if we are to avoid large-scale disruption to council services across Scotland.
“Council workers south of the border yesterday were offered a flat rate uplift of £1925, which for those on the lowest pay equates to a 10.5 per cent increase. You have to wonder why council workers north of the border have only been offered a measly 2 per cent increase when the cost of living continues to spiral.
“UNISON have been calling for a flat rate payment to help those on lower incomes. Most council workers earn less than £25k per year.
“It is clear now that local government workers have had enough and are prepared to strike in the coming weeks unless we see a sensible offer, from COSLA, on the table on Friday.
“This is the largest strike ballot by local government workers in over a decade and the first-time workers across Scotland have voted to take strike action in these numbers. It really shouldn't take this for them to receive the recognition, respect and reward that they deserve.”
GMB Scotland Senior Organiser Keir Greenaway said: “Unless Ministers and COSLA make a significantly improved pay offer for the consultation of our members then strike action is happening across these vital services.
“The 2 per cent that’s already been massively rejected is a shameful proposal, it’s worth less than a tenner a week extra for those earning £25,000 or under, and it will turn a cost-of-living crisis into a catastrophe for many workers and their families.
“Two years ago, these workers were applauded on the doorstep by political leaders, but now they are being told to suffer massive real terms pay cuts ahead of a brutal winter with forecasts of double-digit inflation and energy bills over £3,000.
“Our members are angry and scared, and the prospect of tens of thousands of council workers falling into the growing ranks of the working poor is not something GMB is prepared to leave unchallenged.”
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The message for both the Scottish Government and COSLA is crystal clear: thousands upon thousands of members won’t tolerate real terms pay cuts anymore, and they have had enough. Our members are being forced to take this action due to a derisory pay offer, and we will support them in this fight for better jobs, pay and conditions in local government.”
"It is reported that more than half of Scotland’s 250,000 council workers are earning less than £25,000 a year for a 37-hour week. Unite previously warned all new council leaders if they do not act to improve pay, they will see strikes this summer."
A COSLA Spokesperson said: “COSLA Leaders are clear that they value hugely the Local Government workforce, which is why discussions with our trade union colleagues continue, in order to reach an agreement and avoid strike action.
“As employers we have a responsibility to ensure that any pay deal offered is both sustainable and affordable and that is why we are unable to go beyond the current offer at this point. As mandated by Leaders, we are currently in discussions with Scottish Government and await their response to Leaders’ request for additional funding.”
To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here.
