Laura Sharman 09 November 2018

Council pay offer rejected as union moves towards strike action

The 3% pay offer for council workers in Scotland has been rejected by members of Unison Scotland.

The ballot saw 79% of members voting in favour of rejecting the offer, which was made to all staff earning up to £80,000. Seven out of ten members (67%) also voted to take industrial action.

Johanna Baxter, head of local government (bargaining) at the union, said: 'What this result demonstrates is a real anger and frustration amongst Unison members at the lack of action by CoSLA and the Scottish government to address the serious issue of low pay in local government.

'Unison will talk to other local government trade unions on Friday to discuss further action and we will inform employers of the ballot results then.

'As the Scottish government prepare their budget we will put further pressure on them to make more money available to fund a decent pay rise for local government staff. Local government workers have endured a decade of real-terms pay cuts, and they have now simply had enough.'

In response, COSLA's resources spokesperson, Cllr Gail Macgregor said: 'Obviously my first reaction is one of disappointment at the outcome of the ballot. We value our workforce and our 3% offer matches other offers within the public sector in Scotland. However, whilst disappointed, we as employers look forward to discussing this with UNISON at our joint meeting today.'

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Area Team Leader - Development Management

Kirklees Metropolitan Council
£51,356 - £53,460
This is an exciting time to join the Kirklees Council Development Management team. Kirklees, West Yorkshire
Recuriter: Kirklees Metropolitan Council

Domestic Abuse Project Officer

Kirklees Metropolitan Council
£45,091- £47,181
There is a renewed energy and determination to tackle domestic abuse Kirklees, West Yorkshire
Recuriter: Kirklees Metropolitan Council

Customer Service Officer

North Yorkshire Council
£27,254 - £29,064 per annum
Are you someone that can use innovative thinking to come up with timely solutions to problems? Selby, North Yorkshire
Recuriter: North Yorkshire Council

Data Specialist

North Yorkshire Council
£42,839 - £47,181
Do you want to build data tools that will underpin intelligence-led decision making and play a key role in shaping the future of analytics North Yorkshire
Recuriter: North Yorkshire Council

Senior Transport Officer-Travel Planning

Derbyshire County Council
Grade 10 £35,422 - £38,730 per annum
We’re looking for an enthusiastic and skilled Senior Transport Officer – Travel Planning to join our Sustainable Travel Team Derbyshire
Recuriter: Derbyshire County Council
Linkedin Banner