Unite announces strike action set to spread across 20 councils
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UNITE the union has confirmed today (August 25) that it has now served notice of strike action in education and waste services hitting 20 councils across Scotland.
On Tuesday, Unite confirmed that its local government committee rejected outright the current 5 per cent pay offer from COSLA.
Talks involving the trade unions with the Deputy First Minister in Edinburgh took place last night (Wednesday) and despite being ‘constructive’ there was no breakthrough, and there remains no new offer on the table.
Unite can today confirm that its members in waste services currently taking strike action in 14 councils will take another eight days action from September 6 to 13.
A further five councils are set to join this second phase of strike action in waste services in the following areas: Aberdeenshire, Dumfries and Galloway, East Dunbartonshire, Fife and North Ayrshire.
In another new development Unite’s members in schools and early years services across seven councils are scheduled to take three days of strike action on September 6, 7, 8 and 9 in the following areas: Angus, Dundee, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, and South Lanarkshire.
The days of action vary depending on the council.
Unite’s members in schools and early years services include administrative staff, cleaners, caterers, and classroom assistants.
Unite members employed by Tayside Contracts who provide catering and janitorial services to schools across Angus, Dundee and Perth and Kinross councils will also strike.
In total this means 20 councils will be directly impacted by Unite’s strike action.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite’s members across local government are taking strike action because the politicians have failed them miserably.
"We now plan to spread this action across 20 councils in education and waste services.
"For five months COSLA and the Scottish Government have dithered and bickered with each other while our members have increasingly faced a cost of living crisis.
"We will fully support them in their fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”
For more than half of local government workers, COSLA’s latest offer represents an offer of between £900-£1250.
In comparison the UK Government is offering council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland a £1925 flat rate pay offer.
Unite estimates that more than 2000 members will be involved in the coordinated and targeted strike action involving education and waste services across Scotland.
Unite industrial officer Wendy Dunsmore added: “Unite will now deepen and spread our strike action across two thirds of the country.
"This is a direct response to the abject failure by both COSLA and the Scottish Government to fund a fair pay offer particularly for the lowest paid.
" It’s a disgrace that schools and early years services now face closure causing further disruption to families.
"The politicians need to get a grip of this situation which they have let happen due to their politicking and stalling.
"It’s time for the politicians to realise the gravity of this dispute and take responsibility before this situation dramatically escalates.”
It is reported that more than half of Scotland’s 250,000 council workers are earning less than £25,000 a year for a 37-hour week.
Waste Services Strike Action 6 to 13 September (8 days action) takes place in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City.
Fellow union UNISON are due to have council pay talks with Deputy First Minister and COSLA at 2.30pm today (Thursday) at St Andrews House.
Johanna Baxter, UNISON head of local government, said: “We welcome that the Scottish Government and COSLA will both be in the same room with us.
"Council workers are fed up of being used as a political football as each party blames the other for lack of funding for a better pay deal for our members.
"The trade unions had constructive talks with Deputy First Minister, John Swinney last night (Wednesday) where we agreed that both the Scottish government and COSLA have a role to play in resolving this dispute.
"However there has still been no significant break though and the key issues remains the same."
UNISON strike action will affect school and early years services in Aberdeenshire.
