Commenting on the Scottish government’s announcement today (Tuesday) of a £100 million cash injection to help settle local government pay disputes, Johanna Baxter, UNISON Scotland’s head of local government, said:
“The announcement of an additional £100m for local government is welcome. However, it won’t touch the sides of the £1bn gap in local government budgets and doesn’t provide councils anywhere near enough funding for a decent pay uplift for local government workers.
“While local councils struggle to balance the books, thousands of jobs and community services are facing cuts. These scraps from the top table will do little to restore confidence in the Scottish Government’s approach to local democracy or the communities our councils serve.”
Notes to editors
UNISON is Scotland’s largest local government trade union.