Strike threat lifted in East Dunbartonshire as council begin cuts climb-down

With strike action due to start at midnight tonight, council officials agreed to reverse their decision to cut overtime allowances, annual leave entitlement and changes to the notional working day, restoring hundreds of pounds in real terms earnings to staff.

Negotiations over the council’s cuts to redundancy entitlement will continue, with EDC officials accepting GMB’s deadline of Monday, July 23 to reach a resolution, while protecting the trade union’s industrial action mandate and maintaining an overtime ban across the council’s services.

GMB Scotland Organiser Hazel Nolan said: “Make no mistake that GMB members have led from the front to defend their interests while councillors who bulldozed through these cuts tried to duck their responsibilities.

We still have some road to travel to restore our members’ full redundancy entitlements but if the council do the right thing in these negotiations then the threat of any future industrial action will be lifted. The ball is very much in their court.

This evening’s climb-down should send out a clear message that the rights of our members must be respected and that after ten years of austerity, ‘enough is enough’ of council cuts.”