Scotland’s largest local government union is considering widening its strike ballot to more than 90,000 staff in councils and associated services over pay.
The move comes after all council workers in the union overwhelmingly rejected Cosla’s latest pay offer in a consultative ballot a week ago.
UNISON says it will take several weeks to set a firm timetable, but the intention is to ask all council workers it represents in Scotland if they are willing to strike over pay. Until now the strike ballot has been confined to refuse workers, and staff working in schools and early years with many backing strike action in several parts of the country.
The current offer from employer organisation Cosla includes an hourly uplift of £0.67 or a 3.6% increase, whichever is higher. However, the union says this falls short of expectations given the 25% real-terms pay cut over the past 14 years.
UNISON Scotland local government committee chair Colette Hunter said: “Thousands of council workers have overwhelmingly rejected COSLA’s pay offer. They are demanding a fair increase to prevent their pay from consistently lagging behind and to ensure their wage rise aligns with other sectors of the economy.
“They are outraged that the current offer falls significantly short of their pay claim, and is well below the 5.5% being offered to their NHS colleagues.”
UNISON Scotland local government lead David O’Connor said: “Council staff provide essential services that keep society running. They are simply asking for a fair and equitable pay increase.”
“Councils are currently in crisis. They face significant recruitment challenges as workers are expected to do more with fewer resources and lower wages. This situation places immense pressure on both the workers and the services they deliver. The only viable solution is to grant these dedicated staff the pay rise they rightfully deserve.”
Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the largest union in local government. The union represent staff in education, local government, social care, NHS, police services, utilities, energy and the voluntary sector.
– Councils where UNISON has a mandate for strike action in waste, recycling and street cleaning: Clackmannanshire Council, Dumfries & Galloway Council, East Ayrshire Council, East Lothian Council, Fife Council, Glasgow City Council, Inverclyde Council, Midlothian Council, North Lanarkshire Council, Perth & Kinross Council, South Lanarkshire Council, Stirling Council and West Lothian Council, plus Cireco, an arms-length waste management specialist company.
-Councils where UNISON has mandates in schools and early years: Perth and Kinross, Shetland, Orkney, East Renfrewshire and Angus.
-Read COSLA’s full pay offer here
Media contact:
David O’Connor M: 0795 8121861
Danny Phillips M: 07717 715277 / 07944 664110 E: D.Phillips@unison.co.uk