SCOTLAND

  

Council worker pay strike suspended

Image: Kelly Neilson / Shutterstock.com.

 William Eichler 13 August 2024

A strike over pay that was set to hit Scotland this week has been suspended after council leaders made a new offer.

On Friday (9 August), the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) agreed to offer a minimum increase of 3.6% and for staff on the first pay point on pay scales 5.63%, amounting to £1,292. The overall value of the offer is 4.27%.

The Unite, GMB and Unison unions have agreed to suspend a planned walk out from 14 to 22 August while they consult their members over whether to accept the pay deal.

Graham McNab, Unite’s lead negotiator for local government, described the new offer as ‘credible’.

However, UNISON Scotland local government lead David O’Connor said the offer was ‘still not enough.’

‘Council staff have seen the value of their pay reduced by 25% over the past 14 years and any pay deal needs to do more to reverse this.’

GMB Scotland senior organiser Keir Greenaway said: 'This offer is a significant improvement on what came before but our members will decide if it is acceptable.'

Elsewhere in the UK, trade union calls for a return to the negotiating table over pay have been rebuffed.