Responding to Nicola Sturgeon’s statement that council leaders should make a ‘decent 5% pay offer’ to staff to avert forthcoming strikes, UNISON Scotland head of local government, Johanna Baxter said:
‘Our members will rightly question why the First Minister is calling on councils to make a 5% offer to their workforce, without providing them additional money to do so and when that level of offer has been resoundingly rejected by other public sector workers. It is also presumptuous to assume that an offer at that level would avert strike action – with inflation running at currently more than 10% this level of offer would be a pay cut.
Its no secret that over 80% of council funds comes from the Scottish Government. This is a ridiculous situation where both COSLA and the Scottish Government are now both openly acknowledging that the 3.5% offer that is on the table is nowhere near good enough but neither will take responsibility for improving it. It is no wonder our members are sick of the political posturing – both COSLA and the Scottish government need to get back round the table and agree a funding package that will allow a significantly improved pay offer to be made to these essential workers.’
Notes:
UNISON is the largest union in local government
Press release from earlier today: https://unison-scotland.org/strike-dates-for-waste-workers-confirmed/
COSLA offer is here: https://unison-scotland.org/wp-content/uploads/22-02-28-SJC-Letter-of-Offer.doc
Trade union pay claim is here: https://unison-scotland.org/wp-content/uploads/SJC-Pay-Claim-2022.pdf
National Employers for local government services (UK) LOCAL GOVERNMENT PAY 2022 – pay offer: https://unison-scotland.org/wp-content/uploads/Emps-to-NJC-TUs-pay-offer-25Jul22.pdf
UNISON Contacts:
• Johanna Baxter, head of local government: 07817 120894
• Danny Phillips, communications officer: 07944 664110 / 0771 7715277