'Trouble ahead' as council workers reject pay offer

Trade unions representing thousands of council workers say the Scottish Government must get involved urgently to avert industrial action.

 

The call comes after 20,000 GMB Scotland members in the country’s local authorities, including home carers, school cleaners and bin collectors, voted overwhelmingly to reject a pay offer from COSLA, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.

 

The consultative ballot of GMB Scotland’s local authorities revealed 94 per cent rejected the offer of around 5.5 per cent.

 

The ballot results were announced days after the Office for National Statistics revealed inflation in the UK is running at 10.1 per cent while food prices are climbing by 19 per cent.

 

Unite also warned of "trouble ahead" after the pay offer for local government workers got the thumbs down.

 

The trade union, which spearheaded last year’s local government pay dispute, revealed that around 5,000 members emphatically rejected the current five per cent offer for 2023 by 84 per cent.

 

Both unions have signed a joint letter to Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf urging him to intervene and help deliver a new, acceptable offer.

 

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The Scottish Government and COSLA need to improve upon the current pay offer or there will be trouble ahead.

 

"A five per cent pay offer when the broader cost of living index is now above 13 per cent is a punishing real terms pay cut. That's unacceptable.”

 

GMB Scotland Senior Organiser for Public Services Keir Greenaway said: “This offer dramatically short-changes council workers in Scotland compared to colleagues in England and Wales at a time when staff are under unprecedented financial pressure.

 

“It was no surprise it was so overwhelmingly rejected and, since COSLA has failed to find an acceptable way forward, the Scottish Government must intervene to build a new, fairer offer. If they cannot or will not then this dispute can only escalate.”

 

COSLA expressed its disappointment and re-iterated that the offer made is "strong and compares very favourably with other sectors".

 

COSLA’s resources spokesperson Councillor Katie Hagmann said: “This strong offer clearly illustrates the value councils place on their workforce, and it compares well to other sectors.

 

"It recognises the cost-of-living pressures on our workforce and critically, it seeks to protect jobs and services.

 

“While the offer value in year is 5.5 per cent, the average uplift on salaries going into the next financial year is seven per cent.

 

"Those on the Scottish Local Government Living Wage would get 9.12 per cent and those at higher grades, where councils are experiencing severe recruitment challenges, would see 6.05 per cent.

 

“It is an offer which recognises both the vital role of the people who deliver our essential services across councils every day and the value that we, as employers, place on them.

 

"Crucially, it also raises the Scottish Local Government Living Wage by 99p to £11.84 per hour and sets out a commitment to work with our trade unions to develop a road map to £15 per hour in a way that protects our workforce and services we deliver.”