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

Ranger

Essex County Council
£25959.00 - £29820.00 per annum
RangerPermanent, Full Time£25,959 to £29,820 per annumLocation
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Senior Education Adviser

North Yorkshire Council
£60,269 - £68,860 per annum
Do you have a strong, successful track record in education? Northallerton, North Yorkshire
Recuriter: North Yorkshire Council

Chief Executive

Cardiff Council
£208,116 per annum (April 2026 pay award pending)
As Chief Executive, you will inherit an organisation that is stable, ambitious and outward facing. Cardiff (Caerdydd)
Recuriter: Cardiff Council

Learning Disability & Autism Transforming Care Case Manager

Essex County Council
£44952.0000 - £52884.0000 per annum + Hybrid Working, Flexible Working
The OpportunityThe Transforming Care Programme is now part of a wider approach to Health Equalities for Autistic Children, Young People and Adults an England, Essex, Chelmsford
Recuriter: Essex County Council

Senior Practitioner - Children in Care, North Essex

Essex County Council
£48205.0000 - £57988.0000 per annum
Essex County Council understand how important flexibility and wellbeing is for our colleagues working across children's Social Care and that we need England, Essex, Colchester
Recuriter: Essex County Council
Linkedin Banner