Johanna Baxter, UNISON Scotland head of local government, said: “If COSLA and the Scottish government are to achieve any of the shared priorities in this deal their warm words will have to be matched by action. After a decade of under-funding, our public services and the workers who deliver them need additional investment and the Verity House Agreement said little about that.
On the same day this document was published COSLA leaders decided again that they would make no improved pay offer to their own workforce, despite all three trade unions currently balloting for industrial action which could disrupt the World Cycling Championships. UNISON members will be forgiven for being sceptical about whether the commitment to the delivery of fair work across the public sector will amount to anything other than jam tomorrow.”
Mark Ferguson, UNISON Scotland local government committee chair said: “The local government workforce require stability and adequate resourcing to deliver the services our communities need. We will wait to see if either are forthcoming but the decision not to table an improved pay offer does not bode well. It is noticeable the document makes no mention of working with trade union representatives in the delivery of these objectives or the review of the implementation of this deal.”
Notes to the editor
UNISON is the largest trade union in local government, representing 84,000 local government workers across Scotland.