Unite warns of disruption to main occasions amid native authorities pay row
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ey summer season occasions could possibly be disrupted if Scotland’s First Minister fails to intervene in a rising pay dispute, a union has warned.
Unite has demanded Humza Yousaf facilitates negotiations between the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) and public sector employees.
The union needs further funds to be allotted to enhance the present 5% pay provide for 2023/24 – nevertheless councillors voted in opposition to approaching ministers throughout a Scottish Joint Council assembly in May.
Unite mentioned it’s now contemplating balloting members over potential strike motion, which might result in vital disruption or cancellation of occasions together with the Cycling World Championship in Glasgow in August.
The actuality is that talks with Cosla have collapsed. This goes to require intervention by the Scottish Government in a method or one other
Unite members overwhelmingly rejected the 5% provide for 2023 by 84% in a consultative poll in May.
Sharon Graham, common secretary of Unite, mentioned: “The Scottish Government needs to intervene because Cosla for a second year in a row seems utterly incapable of sorting out a fair pay offer.
“The reality is that the current 5% offer needs to be significantly improved upon or we will have no choice but to ballot our members on strike action.
“Unite will always stand up for better jobs, pay and conditions in local government, and, just like last year, in the end we will win for our members.”
The Scottish Government, beneath the management of then-first minister Nicola Sturgeon, intervened in final yr’s pay dispute to convey an finish to widespread industrial motion.
The pay provide for 2022/23 absolutely consolidated £2,000 for these incomes as much as £20,500 – or round 10-11%.
Graham McNab, Unite’s industrial officer, urged the Scottish Government to take motion to keep away from a repeat of final yr’s disruption, which noticed garbage construct up throughout Scottish cities.
He added: “There is a real question over the ability of Cosla to even negotiate a pay settlement for local government workers. The body is in danger of repeating exactly the same mistakes of last summer, only for us to then end up with the first minister’s intervention to fund an improved package after widespread strike action.
“Unite is now actively preparing to ballot our members across Scottish local authorities. The reality is that talks with Cosla have collapsed. This is going to require intervention by the Scottish Government in one way or another.
“We urge them to do so before any strike action takes place.”
A Cosla spokesperson mentioned native authority leaders had made a “strong” pay provide which “clearly illustrates the value councils place on their workforce, and compares well to other sectors”.
The spokesperson added that the provide “recognises the cost-of-living pressures on our workforce and, critically, it seeks to protect jobs and services”.
The spokesperson mentioned: “While the offer value in year is 5.5%, the average uplift on salaries going into the next financial year is 7%. Those on the Scottish local government living wage would get 9.12% and those at higher grades, where councils are experiencing severe recruitment challenges, would see 6.05%.
“It is an offer which recognises both the vital role of the people who deliver our essential services across councils every day and the value that we, as employers, place on them.
“Crucially, it also raises the Scottish local government living wage by 99p to £11.84 per hour and sets out a commitment to work with our trade unions to develop a road map to £15 per hour in a way that protects our workforce and services we deliver.”