Pay deal plea as 90,000 council workers would strike under latest Scotland union threat

Scotland’s largest local government union is considering widening a strike ballot to more than 90,000 council staff in a long-running dispute over pay

Council leaders have said they remain “hopeful” union members will accept the latest pay offer – after it emerged that 90,000 council staff could be balloted for strike action.

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Cosla, the organisation which represents Scotland’s local authorities, defended the pay deal, insisting that it would benefit the majority of workers. Unison, which includes the largest number of local authority workers in Scotland, announced on Tuesday that it may broaden a strike ballot to all council workers in the union, totalling 90,000 people.

Last week, 86 per cent of Unison members in waste, recycling and street cleaning sectors, as well as early years, rejected a pay offer from Cosla [the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities], although GMB and Unite accepted it.

Unison, which includes the largest number of local authority workers in Scotland, announced on Tuesday that it may broaden a strike ballot to all council workers in the union, totalling 90,000 people. The decision means waste strikes may still go ahead. Picture: Lisa FergusonUnison, which includes the largest number of local authority workers in Scotland, announced on Tuesday that it may broaden a strike ballot to all council workers in the union, totalling 90,000 people. The decision means waste strikes may still go ahead. Picture: Lisa Ferguson
Unison, which includes the largest number of local authority workers in Scotland, announced on Tuesday that it may broaden a strike ballot to all council workers in the union, totalling 90,000 people. The decision means waste strikes may still go ahead. Picture: Lisa Ferguson | Lisa Ferguson

The deal offered is an hourly increase of either 67p or 3.6 per cent depending on what is higher, and “bottom-weighted”, to benefit lowest-paid staff.

Cosla said that, if accepted, it will mean most members of the workforce will see at least a 4.27 per cent pay rise, with 75 per cent of full-time workers guaranteed a £1,292 uplift, which represents a 5.63 per cent increase to the Scottish Government Living Wage.

Cosla’s resources spokesperson Katie Hagmann chaired a meeting of the Scottish Joint Council (SJC) steering group this week, and praised “important and useful discussions”, but urged for Unison to “reconsider”.

Ms Hagmann said: “Everyone noted that we must reach a swift agreement so we can ensure a speedy settlement. Union colleagues are still working to reach agreement in light of Unison’s position that the offer needs to be improved.

“I took the opportunity to highlight the strength of our offer, which has been overwhelmingly accepted by Unite and GMB members.

“The offer would see more than half (55 per cent) of workers getting an increase of at least 4.27 per cent with those at lower pay points receiving a gradually higher increase – up to 5.63 per cent at the first pay point on our scales – meaning waste, school support and social care staff get the rise they deserve to help tackle the effects of inflation.

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“The offer is better than colleagues in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will get this year, and is higher than inflation.”

She added: “At the request of all three unions, the offer is bottom-weighted to ensure there is a greater increase for those lowest paid – 75 per cent of our workforce would see an uplift of £1,292 [for full-time roles].

“That’s a 5.63 per cent increase to the Scottish Local Government living wage, which is the first point on our pay scales. No worker will receive less than a 3.6 per cent increase.

“Council leaders greatly value our workforce and the front-line services they provide across Scotland and within all our communities, and we remain hopeful that Unison members will reconsider and accept this good offer.”

Unison has strike mandates in 13 Scottish councils, as well as one for Cireco – a specialist arms-length waste management company. It also has five mandates for strike action in education, and rejected the offer citing a “25 per cent real-terms pay cut over the last 14 years”.

Finance secretary Shona Robison on Tuesday accused Unison of risking causing delays to all council workers getting a backdated pay award.

Unison Scotland lead for local government, David O’Connor, said: “Councillor Hagman’s statement is unacceptable. As she knows, Unison is by far the largest local government union and any pay offer must demonstrate that all staff are valued.

“She also knows that 14 years of Cosla pay offers have resulted in the value of local government pay falling by 25 per cent. She chose to ignore our warnings and proceeded with a pay offer that neither compensates staff for the years of pay erosion nor reflects the essential contributions of all dedicated council staff.

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“That’s why thousands of members have voted overwhelmingly to reject Cosla’s pay offer and to take strike action. Her statement does a disservice to the hardworking people who keep our local government functioning.”

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