Unions claim ministers dismissed council workers as ‘not on par’ with health workers so couldn’t expect similar offer
Three trade unions representing more than 100,000 council staff across Scotland have condemned a Scottish Government decision not to provide additional money for an improved local government pay offer.
Leaders from Unite, Unison and the GMB have also hit out at cabinet secretaries Kate Forbes, Shona Robison and Shirley-anne Somerville, who they claim argued that council staff are “not on a par with health workers so could not expect a similar offer”. The letterfromtheunionscomesasall threeprepareforformalindustrialactionballotsoftheirmembers on pay after an initial offer by Cosla was overwhelmingly rejected in March.
Council leaders had offered lower paid staff a flat rate payment of £800, two per cent for employeesonbetween£25,000 and £40,000, and one per cent forthoseearningupto£80,000, capped at £800 – but it falls short of the average four per cent offered to NHS staff.
Negotiations have since stalled with Cosla arguing it does not have sufficient funds
to improve the offer unless the Scottish Government awards additional money while the Scottishgovernmenthassaidit has no locus in the discussions.
The trade unions state that local government workers have “gone above and beyond” in their response to the Covid pandemic and deserve reward andrecognitionfortheirefforts.
Wendy Dunsmore of Unite Scotland said: "The Scottish Government is treating local government workers as the poor relation in our nation's public services.
"It'sappallingthatkateforbes appears to be pitting local governmentworkersagainstthose in social care and the NHS by making clear distinctions about who is more deserving of a decent pay rise when all our public service workers are deserving.
“Homeless workers, school workers who have kept hubs open, refuse workers who have kept our streets clean, road maintenance workers who have kept our nation moving and social care workers who continue to care for our loved ones have all been totally snubbed by the Scottish Government.
"Let's remember that more than half of all local government workers earn less than £25,000 a year with the majorityofthosebeingpredominantly women.”