Scottish council workers reject pay offer from Cosla

A union leader has warned that "waste will pile up" after the latest pay offer from Scottish council leaders was rejected.

Unison's Johanna Baxter confirmed strike action, saying the 3.5% offer announced on Friday was "derisory".

GMB called the Cosla offer "pathetic", while Unite said it was "nowhere near good enough".

The Scottish government said it was disappointed and urged Cosla to "urgently reconsider" its position.

Strike dates are planned in August and September, with different times expected for each union.

Following a virtual special meeting of council leaders on Friday, Cosla resources spokeswoman Katie Hagmann said she had been mandated to make an offer that raised the Scottish local government living wage to £10.50.

She said: "Leaders have reaffirmed their aspiration to make an offer greater than the initial 2% but note the risk that public services will not recover, jobs will be affected and communities will see services reduced as local government budgets are unable to sustain the long-term pressures they have been under.

"Leaders continue to call on Scottish government to provide funding and flexibilities to enable an offer beyond the monies provided to date.

"As such we will be seeking to make an improved offer via the appropriate negotiating mechanisms as soon as possible."

The Scottish government has said it expects local authorities to match the £140m extra pledged by the Scottish government for pay rises.

Inflation reached 11.8% in June.

Speaking on BBC Scotland's Drivetime programme Ms Baxter, Unison's head of local government, called the strike action a "consequence" of Cosla and the Scottish government failing to find a solution.

"We're in the ridiculous position where both of them agree that this offer is not sufficient but they just cannot agree which of their organisations is responsible for funding an improved offer," she said.

"Our members are simply fed up of being used as a political football between the two."

Unison rejected Cosla's offer on the grounds that it had not sufficiently improved, fell short of the Joint Trade Union's claim and fell short of the current rate of inflation.

In a statement, the union added that council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland had been offered a £1,925 flat rate uplift, which equates to a 10.5% increase for those on the lowest wages.

Unison and GMB Scotland waste and recycling workers will walk out between 26 and 29 August as well as between 7 and 10 September.

"We are in a ridiculous position of both our employers and the Scottish government agreeing this 3.5% pay offer is not nearly enough, but both are at loggerheads about who should pay for it," Ms Baxter said.

Unison members in Aberdeenshire, Clackmannanshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, Stirling and South Lanarkshire have said they will walk out.

She added that the union would confirm dates for strike action in schools and early years in the coming days.

Additionally, about 250 Unite members will walk out from 18 August until 30 August and about 1,500 workers will strike between 24 and 31 August.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the offer of 3.5% was "nowhere near good enough".

She said: "Council leaders across Scotland including Edinburgh and Glasgow are publicly on the record acknowledging this reality so why should our members even consider it.

"We make no apologies for standing up for our members because they deserve better than what they are getting from the politicians.

"Unite will always defend the jobs, pay and conditions of its members."

A Scottish government spokesperson said: "We are disappointed that despite providing an extra £140m of Scottish government funding on a recurring basis to support a higher pay award for council staff - more than half the amount Cosla asked for in order to make a 5% offer - local government has only offered a 3.5% increase, which has now been rejected by the workforce.

"As the employers, these pay negotiations are a matter for local authorities and unions - the Scottish government has no formal role.

"We urge Cosla to urgently reconsider its position and match the Scottish government's additional £140m that would be required to increase the pay offer to 5%."

The spokesperson added: "The Scottish government must balance a fixed budget with very significant competing demands as a consequence of the cost of living crisis and the inaction of the UK government.

"The main tax levers are set for the whole year and cannot be changed.

"With no power to borrow for this spend, the extra £140m has got to come from somewhere else within the budget and no more funding can be offered."

A first wave of Unite strikes in Edinburgh are expected next week during the city's International and Fringe festivals between 18 and 30 August.

Last week, the union announced a second wave of strike action to hit all waste services across 14 councils between 24 and 31 August.

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.

GMB Scotland Senior Organiser Keir Greenaway said no-one should be surprised his union was rejecting offer.

He added: "It's a pathetic response from political leaders to a cost of living crisis that's turning into a catastrophe for many front line workers and their families.

"Unless a significantly improved offer is urgently tabled, the strike dates already confirmed for later this month will be unavoidable, and notices for further actions will almost certainly follow as we head into autumn."

Authorities where GMB members have said they will strike are Aberdeen, Angus, Dundee, East Ayrshire, East Lothian, Falkirk, Glasgow, Inverclyde, Highland, Midlothian, Orkney, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, West Lothian, Perth and Kinross, and North Lanarkshire.