Strike action looms as unions reject revised local government pay offer in Scotland

Story updated 25 July 2024

Strike action is on the cards after the three local government unions rejected a revised pay offer from employers in Scotland.

UNISON, GMB and Unite warned that, unless COSLA’s offer of a 3.2% rise in 2024-25 were urgently increased, walkouts by waste and street cleaning staff would follow this summer.

Members of the unions across most of Scotland’s 32 councils in these services had already voted to take strike action when COSLA issued its revised offer last week.

The unions are also planning to ask poll in other services on taking industrial action, with UNISON having commenced a ballot for schools, early years and family centre staff.

Revised offer ‘puts no more money on table’

COSLA’s revised proposal compares previous offer of a 2.2% rise from 1 April to 30 September 2024, followed by a further 2% increase over the subsequent year, up to 30 September 2025.

This would improve pay rates by 4.2% over the 18-month period. However, the new proposal is worth the same as COSLA’s initial offer in relation to 2024-25 alone, a fact which sparked anger from the unions.

“COSLA’s revised offer puts absolutely no more money on the table,” said UNISON Scotland local government lead David O’Connor. “They have not moved one iota since we advised them that we are preparing for strikes.”

“For COSLA to suggest this is a revised and improved offer only insults the intelligence of our members,” said GMB Scotland’s senior organiser in public services, Keir Greenaway. “It is merely a repackaging of the previous offer already rejected as too low and too late.”

Scottish staff  ‘undervalued’ compared with UK counterparts

Graham McNab, Unite’s industrial officer, added: “COSLA’s latest pay offer doesn’t add any extra cash. It continues to grossly undervalue Scotland’s council workers compared with the offer made to their counterparts across the UK.”

This is a reference to the offer made to staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Under this, staff outside the capital would get increases of £1,290 or 2.5%, whichever is higher, while those in outer London have been offered £1,491 and workers in inner London £1,575, instead of £1,290.

Unite said a £1,290 increase was worth 5.2% for staff on £25,000 a year, though the offer for workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is worth proportionately less for higher earners than COSLA’s proposals.

Also, UNISON and Unite have rejected the offer for staff in the rest of the UK, with the former planning to ballot for strike action.

COSLA offer ‘at absolute limits of affordability’

COSLA has said that it cannot afford to offer staff any more than it has and expressed disappointment at the unions’ rejection of the revised offer.

“We have been consistently clear that this offer of 3.2% over 12 months is at the absolute limit of affordability for councils, given the extremely challenging financial situation local government is facing,” said resources spokesperson Katie Hagmann.

“We believe this offer, which is above inflation, is fair, strong and credible. There is no more money available within existing council budgets to fund an increased offer without unacceptable and damaging cuts to jobs and services.”

Employers urge strike pause while pursuing government talks

However, Hagmann said council leaders had agreed “to raise the matter of local government finance and local government pay with the Scottish Government”, in response to the unions’ calls.

“As no decisions can be taken until these discussions have taken place, we request that the trade unions pause their industrial action, she added.