HUNDREDS of Scottish Water staff who went on strike last month have agreed to an 8% pay rise.
Unite has confirmed its 500 members have given their backing to a new deal negotiated by a group of trade unions.
The deal will see workers' pay rise by 8% across the board, while the increase will also apply to all overtime, call out and standby rates worked since April 2023.
There will be a further reduction in the working week to 35 hours without loss of pay to be implemented in November 2024.
Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said: “Let’s be clear this deal only came about through the determination of our members to fight for a better deal through strike action.
“Unite is once again showing why we are leading the fight to improve the jobs, pay and conditions for workers."
Unite agreed to suspend strike action last month in order to ballot its membership on the new offer. The union had previously planned 48 days of action over a three-month period.
The union said strike action would have significantly impaired Scottish Water’s ability to respond to leakages, flooding, pollution and drinking water quality concerns.
Members of the GMB and Unison unions had also been fighting against the publicly-owned firm’s proposals for a new pay structure.
Unite regional coordinator Stevie Deans said: "Unite is pleased to have negotiated a new pay deal for 500 members at Scottish Water. There will be a minimum increase of 8% but we have managed to secure a number of significant improvements to the working conditions of our members.
“An important element of this deal was Scottish Water management belatedly agreeing to decouple the pay offer from any new grading structure. This was a key demand for us, and talks will continue on this issue.”
