SCOTLAND

Nicola Sturgeon accused of hypocrisy for posing on a picket line

Daniel Sanderson
Thu, 28 September 2023 

Nicola Sturgeon was accused of chronically underfunding local government - PA

Nicola Sturgeon has been accused of hypocrisy for posing on a picket line in a show of “solidarity” with striking workers.

The former first minister was said to have wished staff whose walkout had closed a primary school “the best of luck” in their dispute, which union leaders have blamed on the Government she led only six months ago.

Unison staff completed a three-day strike on Thursday, which has shut classrooms across Scotland, in a row over pay.

They had formed a picket line outside of Royal Mile Primary School in Edinburgh, which is close to the Scottish Parliament where Ms Sturgeon remains an MSP.

She offered striking staff an apparent endorsement despite union leaders claiming that the administration she ran for more than eight years, until she officially resigned in March, had chronically underfunded local government.

Humza Yousaf, Ms Sturgeon’s successor, had urged Unison to suspend its industrial action and accept the “very good” pay offer which had been made to staff.

Stephen McCabe, the Labour leader of Inverclyde Council, one of 24 authorities where schools have been forced to close in September, said: “Hypocrisy knows no bounds.”

‘Financial mess’

“This is the person most responsible for the financial mess that councils are in today.”

Neil Findlay, a former Labour MSP, described Ms Sturgeon’s photo-op as “beyond satire”.

He added: “She presided over years of cuts to Scotland’s councils and claimed every budget was fair to local government and now has the affront to stand on a picket line.”

Unite and the GMB agreed to suspend strike plans while members consulted over a new pay offer.

However, Unison decided to go ahead with the action, with the walkouts taking place among school support staff, such as janitors and catering workers, rather than teachers.

Cosla, the local government body, said it had put a pay deal worth over £445 million on the table which would have seen the lowest paid workers receive an annual pay increase of more than £2,000.

Mr Yousaf has urged Unison to put the offer to its members although the union has accused him of failing to do enough to find a solution.

‘Show of solidarity’

In Ms Sturgeon’s final months as first minister, schools across Scotland were closed by the first national teacher strikes in Scotland since Margaret Thatcher was in power.

They were called off in March after teachers secured a 15 per cent pay rise.

Sharron Macaulay, one of the striking workers, took the photo of Ms Sturgeon on the picket line. The union posted it to social media and claimed it was a show of “solidarity” from the ex-SNP leader.

“It was great to see Nicola this morning, she was very friendly,” Ms Macaulay, a pupil support worker, said. “I hope she didn’t feel ambushed, as we shouted her over from the other side of the street.

“But she didn’t have to come over or have her photo taken with us, we are delighted she did, and she wished us all the best of luck.

“I just hope she still has some influence in the Government to get Humza around the table to help settle this dispute.”

Lilian Macer, Unison’s Scottish secretary, said: “At least when Nicola was first minister, she got around the table with Unison to negotiate a settlement. Where is Humza?”

A spokesman for Ms Sturgeon was approached for comment.