Unite has warned of widespread industrial action in Scotland unless there is a significant increase to the current local government pay offer.
The union issued the warning of “trouble ahead” to Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).
Unite said about 5,000 members working in local government had rejected the current 5% offer for 2023 by 84% in a consultative ballot.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The Scottish government and COSLA need to improve upon the current pay offer or there will be trouble ahead. A 5% pay offer, when the broader cost of living index is now above 13%, is a punishing real terms pay cut. That’s unacceptable.
“Our members are determined to secure fair pay and they have their union’s full support in this fight for better jobs, pay and conditions in local government.”
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In a letter to Scottish government ministers, Unite, along with the joint trade unions, warned that failure to resolve the pay dispute could lead to industrial action as local government workers pursue an improved pay offer.
Unite said it had already taken preparatory steps for targeted industrial action ballots across Scotland’s 32 local authorities in response to the consultative ballot result.
Unite industrial officer Graham McNab commented: “It’s crystal clear that our members are prepared to fight for a better deal if this can’t be secured through negotiation.
“We have been warning the Scottish government and COSLA since January that a pay offer well below inflation for 2023 just won’t cut it. Unite is already taking preparatory steps to ballot our membership in key areas of local government and the politicians, once again, can’t say they have not been warned.”
As reported, local government members of trade unions GMB and Unite in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have also voted to reject a pay increase offer for 2023/24, with industrial action ballots now on the agenda.
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