GMB UNION ADMITS IT ‘CAN’T RULE OUT MORE STRIKES’
GMB union has agreed to a pay proposal put forward by local authority body COSLA, it has been revealed. A total of 51% of Scottish members voted to back the pay rise of around £1000 for cleansing staff earning less than £25,000.
However, the increase cannot be officially approved until Unison, which has taken joint action with GMB in its fight for higher wages, consult its members in a ballot next week.
It comes after workers downed their tools across Glasgow as staff demanded an increase in wages to cope with “rising living costs”.
If an agreement with COSLA is reached, union chiefs have warned it will not be the end of their fight in the city.
Bosses say living costs in Glasgow are higher than elsewhere in the country, prompting its determination to receive an additional payment boost for those working here.
A spokesperson said all council workers classed as a grade one, two, or three are earning somewhere between £17,000 to £18,000 per year which “doesn’t go far enough” to make ends meet.
He added: “The ballot of members across all 32 councils voted marginally to accept the COSLA offer, but it’s clear after eight days of solid strike action that more needs to be done for the lowest paid in Scotland’s biggest city.
“That’s why we can’t rule out further strike action.”
It comes as Glasgow City Council hit back at claims it was “anti-trade union” after reports emerged it was considering bringing in private contractors to help tackle the waste build-up left behind as a result of the strike.
Both GMB union and Labour councillors said they were “furious” at the potential involvement of private firms and insisted it was a waste of taxpayer cash.
The groups urged the local authority not to spend money retaining additional help to tackle the rubbish strike – urging it to agree with the union’s terms instead.
However, GCC insisted while the need for private contractors is “under review”, it hasn’t been necessary thus far following the conclusion of the industrial action last week.
A council spokesperson said: “No contractors have been employed at this stage to support the recovery from the recent strike action.
“The only reason we would employ contractors is to deal with any excess waste that has accumulated out with bins and that waste is causing concerns about a risk to public health.
“Collecting excess waste is a standard part of our cleansing operation, but GMB leadership wished to block the removal of this waste following the return to work last week.”
The spokesperson added: “However, excess waste is now being lifted across the city and while some places are still experiencing disruption caused by the strike, good progress is being made.
“In 2009 contractors were deployed following a period of industrial unrest and potentially bringing in contractors again would be a proportionate measure to protect public health and minimise the disruption experienced by Glasgow residents .
“We will keep all aspects of the potential use of contractors under constant review.”
We can’t rule out further strike action