Union demands action from Holyrood to tackle pay dispute

The union is demanding immediate action by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Finance Secretary, Kate Forbes, over the continuing dispute.

In a letter to both ministers, Unite, along with the joint trade unions, is warning that failure to resolve the pay dispute swiftly will “close schools across the country and see waste pile up on the streets.”

Last week, the trade union confirmed that it had served notice to all 32 Scottish local authorities. Strike ballots involving thousands of its members in schools and cleansing will now open from June 10 and close on July 26. Strike action could begin in August as the new school term commences.

Unite, along with other local government trade unions, has rejected outright a two per cent pay offer from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities’ (COSLA).

Sharon Graham, general secretary, said: “The Scottish Government and COSLA are now facing widespread strike action which will be entirely of their own making. They need to act on the desperate levels of local government pay for most workers. A two per cent pay offer when the broader cost of living is now above 11 per cent is a punishing real terms pay cut.

“Our members are determined to secure fair pay and they have their union’s full support in this fight for better jobs, pay and conditions in local government.”