£3k pay rise strike threat at councils

TENS of thousands of council workers are threatening to go on strike in a dispute over pay that could paralyse Scotland’s local authorities.

One of the country’s biggest unions warned yesterday that its 80,000 council staff members were ‘on the path’ to action.

It is demanding a blanket £3,000 pay rise for every worker, a demand rejected as unaffordable by Cosla, the umbrella body representing councils.

Unison said 90 per cent of its members, covering a range of council jobs, including cleaners, caterers, janitors and social workers, have given their approval for industrial action.

The ballot came after Cosla’s only pay offer was rejected by all three local government trade unions in March. The current cost of living crisis has sparked

‘Improve their offer to avert industrial unrest’

a wave of industrial unrest with strike threats looming across various sectors.

The RMT union warned last week of the ‘biggest rail strike in modern UK history’ amid planned job cuts. Major public sector unions Unite and GMB have also backed action on behalf of members in Scottish local authorities.

Unison, which represents around a third of all council staff, said the vote by its members showed the ‘strength of feeling’ and insisted local authority leaders must improve their offer in order to ‘avert industrial unrest’.

Cosla has offered a 2 per cent rise, or £500 per year for those on £25,000. The average wage in Scotland is around £32,000.

A formal ballot would be required before industrial action could go ahead.