Workers at Scottish Water will be on strike for two days later this month in a dispute over pay
Staff will take strike action on Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 April. The two-day walkout follows a one-day strike on 28 March.
The union say that emergency repairs and water quality checks will not be carried out during the action. Problems reported with water supply, sewage or drainage won’t be dealt with until the strike is over.
UNISON says the offer from Scottish Water – a pay increase this year of 2.6% or £1,050, whichever is higher – fails to compensate staff for a decade of real-term pay cuts.
UNISON Scotland regional organiser Emma Phillips said: “No one wants strike action. We have done everything we can to persuade Scottish Water senior managers to put a fair offer on the table, but they are refusing to be reasonable.
“Staff have suffered a decade of pay deals which haven’t kept up with inflation. They’re fed up with being underpaid and Scottish Water senior managers must start to see sense.”
UNISON Scottish Water branch secretary Tricia McArthur said: “Scottish Water workers deserve to be paid fairly for the services they provide.
“It’s important this vital publicly-owned service that so many rely on is protected, as are its dedicated workforce.”
Notes to editors:
– UNISON represents more than 1,000 workers at Scottish Water, where it is the largest union.
– The two-day strike starts at 00.01hrs on Tuesday 22 April and ends at 23.59 on Wednesday 23 April.
– Staff will be on picket lines from 7am at Scottish Water’s Shieldhall offices, adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 38 Renfrew Road Glasgow G51 4SU.
– UNISON’s strike ballot took place in February. There was a 69% turnout, with 65% of votes in favour of strike action.
– UNISON is Scotland’s largest union, with more than 150,000 members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.