Glasgow council workers could strike over pay dispute

The union Unite has released the result of a consultative ballot, revealing that thousands of local government workers are prepared to take industrial action over pay.

Thousands of Unite local government workers (91%) said that, in response to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities’ (COSLA) failure to put forward a fair and decent offer by the pay review date of April 1, that they would be prepared to take industrial action.

In March, Unite, along with other local government trade unions, rejected outright a two per cent pay offer from COSLA.

Unite has confirmed that in response to the consultative ballot result it is now preparing to ballot targeted groups of local government workers in the coming weeks in the escalating dispute over pay.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “COSLA should hang its head in shame over the derisory offer put to our members which was rejected outright. Inflation and the cost of living is spiralling upwards yet local government workers are being treated with contempt. Unite’s members in local government right across Scotland have their union’s full backing in their fight for decent pay.”

Wendy Dunsmore, Unite industrial officer added: “Local government workers are the unsung heroes of the pandemic. The two per cent offer on the table is nearly five times behind the current cost of living, and that’s a disgrace. Let's remember that the majority of these workers are low paid, and female.

“The Scottish Government has starved local authorities of adequate funding for more than a decade but Unite won’t allow our members to be starved of a fair and decent pay rise. It is time COSLA fought hard for those hard-working workers who are now suffering in-work poverty.”