Union warns it may ballot more council workers over strike action

Scotland's biggest council union says it could ballot more local authority workers to see if they would go on strike over pay.

Unison members rejected a pay offer made last month to try to see off the threat of bin strikes.

The union says it is considering balloting more than 90,000 staff in a range of jobs in councils and associated services across Scotland.

Two other council unions – Unite and the GMB – have accepted the pay offer.

The Scottish government made the deal possible when it gave councils extra resources for pay.

It would see staff get an annual rise of £1,292 or 3.6%, whichever is greater.

Unison already has a mandate for action by refuse and recycling workers in 13 council areas and at Cireco, an arms-length waste management specialist company.

It also has a mandate to call out schools and early years staff at five councils.

No strike dates have been announced so far.

Because GMB and Unite voted to accept the offer there is no possibility of their members striking.

Unison Scotland's local government committee chairwoman Colette Hunter said thousands of council workers "overwhelmingly rejected" the Cosla pay offer.

"They are demanding a fair increase to prevent their pay from consistently lagging behind and to ensure their wage rise aligns with other sectors of the economy," she said.

“They are outraged that the current offer falls significantly short of their pay claim, and is well below the 5.5% being offered to their NHS colleagues.”

Katie Hagmann, resources spokesperson for local authority umbrella group Cosla, said it had been "deeply disappointed to learn that Unison rejected our latest strong and above inflation pay offer".

She added: "This offer, which was overwhelmingly accepted by Unite and GMB, is at the absolute limit of affordability for local covernment and fully exhausts all available funding.

“The offer has an overall value of 4.27%. This aligns well with other bargaining groups including teachers and we welcome that the two largest teaching unions are currently balloting on it, with recommendations to accept."

Ms Hagmann said the offer would see 64% of council workers, by full-time equivalent (FTE), receiving a 4.27% or better increase in their pay.

The lowest paid would see a much-needed 5.63% increase, and no worker would get less than a 3.6%.

Unite and the GMB would be keen to ensure their members, who voted in favour of the offer, get their rise and the backpay they are due as soon as possible.

But if Cosla implements the pay offer it could antagonise Unison.