Council staff and Scottish Water workers set for more strikes over pay
Public sector workers are poised for strike action in a dispute over pay.
Council staff have voted in favour of industrial action while Scottish Water employees have already begin a rolling programme or walk-outs.
Local government union Unison announced yesterday (Friday) that council workers had voted in their tens of thousands in support of the action.
More than 92 per cent of those who took part in a consultation said they were in favour of striking.
It comes after local government employer body Cosla offered a 3 per cent wage increase to all Scottish council workers for 2025-26.
Meanwhile, councillors will see their salaries rise between 20 and 40 per cent following a review which found their current remuneration no longer represented the commitment of the role.
Unison Scotland’s local government committee will meet to discuss its next steps in balloting its members formally over strike action.
Committee chairwoman Colette Hunter said: ”The last thing anyone wants to do is take strike action. “But local government workers deserve a fair increase to stop their pay lagging behind inflation and other sectors of the economy.
“This result should be a wake-up call for Cosla. “It needs to reward council workers fairly for the essential services they provide and start to reverse years of pay cuts.
“Workers have seen the value of their wages fall over the past ten years, while often being asked to take on even more work to cover for vacant posts in their teams.
“Councils provide vital services to their communities by caring for the most vulnerable, educating children, collecting waste and recycling, and keeping people safe.
“Council workers deserve better.”Scottish Water staff walked out of work yesterday with members of GMB and Unite unions protesting at the “arrogance” of well-paid bosses.
It marked the start of rolling programme of industrial action threatening to disrupt emergency repairs, testing and maintenance.
GMB Scotland organiser Claire Greer said the strike could easily have been averted by Scottish Water long before last-ditch talks at conciliation service Acas collapsed.
She said: “This dispute is straightforward, the issues are clear and a resolution easily achievable.”The persistent refusal of this publicly-owned company to negotiate in a sensible, productive way should be a concern for every tax-payer.
“We had believed a way forward was beginning to emerge after long discussions on one set of proposals when the company delivered a brand new set.
“They not only moved the goalposts but dismantled them and shipped them abroad.
“Their action has managed to infuriate a committed workforce leading to industrial action over a dispute which could and should have been settled months ago.
“Our priority is now and always has been to resolve this dispute but then lessons must be learned.”
The union said members backed industrial action after the publicly-owned utility, where executives received record bonuses last year, reduced the terms of a pay offer that had already been rejected.
They voted against an offer of 3.4 pre cent or £1,400 covering the last nine months as the company changes the date for annual rises to take effect from July to April.
Scottish Water said in response: ”No-one benefits from industrial action and our focus is on continuing to deliver for our millions of customers across Scotland.
“Our above-inflation pay offer is fair and progressive, prioritising the highest percentage increases in the business for those on the lowest salary grades – money that should be in employees’ pockets now.
“We have improved the offer in an effort to reach an agreement with the trade unions and we are now offering a combined deal for 2024/25 and 2025/26.
“This is a good deal and we would encourage union leaders to put it to their members and get back round the negotiating table as soon as possible.”
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