1400 council staff to vote on 9.5% pay deal
Ballot starts by UNISON
UNISON members have begun their ballot on a pay offer which would see increases in base salary of 9.5 per cent over three years.
The offer, tabled last month by Scottish councils’ umbrella group CoSLA, also gives a commitment to fully consolidate the Living Wage .
There is also a clause in the agreement which allows the unions to re-open negotiations if another set of workers negotiates a better deal than the one being balloted upon.
UNISON, which has 1400 members at Stirling Council, say the improved pay offer, which surpasses the recent pay deal agreed in the NHS, had come after months of campaigning and negotiations and a decade of below inflation pay increases for local government workers.
Union chiefs are recommending acceptance of the offer and members have until 5pm on January 21 to cast their vote.
Head of local government (bargaining) for the union Johanna Baxter said: “This revised and improved offer would never have been achieved without the resolve, campaigning activity and political lobbying efforts of UNISON members up and down the country.
“Whilst the offer does not make up for the many years of austerity the provision of cost of living increases which meet current and projected levels of RPI is welcome, as are the commitments to fully consolidate the living wage and maintain parity across the local government workforce.”
UNISON Stirling branch secretary, Lorraine Thomson added: “This offer does not meet all of our expectations but it is a move in the right direction after a decade of below inflation increases and job cuts.
“Many of our low-paid members have patiently waited on their employer to consolidate the living wage – the employers past failure to deliver on that has resulted in eradication of pay differentials on the pay model for those doing the most demanding jobs.”