School support workers vote for strike

Mass school closures could take place across the country in the next few months after school support workers from 24 councils across Scotland voted for strike action.

 

North Ayrshire workers were among those who voted to strike over pay after union, Unison, balloted its members and received the largest ever vote for strike action by school staff in Scotland.

 

The ballot by school staff – not the teaching staff who took industrial action earlier this year – was in relation to a five per cent pay offer from employer body Cosla. Union workers were due a pay rise in April and they have also been offered an additional increase dependent on salary from January 2024 for all local government workers.

 

In total 93 per cent of members in North Ayrshire voted for strike action, similar to most of the 23 other council areas, with 97 per cent being reached in Inverclyde, Clackmannanshire and Glasgow City councils.

 

Unison Scotland’s local government committee will meet next week to take the next steps to prepare for industrial action, which is likely to take place in early autumn.

 

Unison Scottish secretary Lilian Macer said: “This is Unison’s strongest ever strike mandate in local government, which shows the level of anger felt by staff."