Cosla agrees to 5% pay offer for council workers

Local authorities have increased their pay offer to 5% as council workers begin strike action.

The minimum hourly rate will also be raised to £10.50 following a meeting of Scottish council leaders.

Union workers will be given the offer for consideration but until they vote to accept the offer, upcoming strikes will continue as planned.

Last Friday, Unison confirmed strike action after members rejected a 3.5% pay deal.

Unite criticised the council body Cosla for taking "over five months to make an offer which we can take to our members for consideration."

The pay uplift is funded jointly by local authorities and the Scottish government.

Cosla said council leaders would need to discuss council support with the government to ensure long-term funding and flexibilities to limit the impact on public services and communities.

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

Local government minister Shona Robison called the increased pay offer a "welcome step forward".

GMB said the largest wage increases must go to the lowest paid.

The strikes could be called off if members agree to the pay deal.

The first industrial action by Edinburgh council workers over pay started on Thursday and is set to last 12 days.

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

Edinburgh council leader Cammy Day welcomed the increased pay offer.

He said: "Having pushed hard for a special Cosla meeting to be convened this week, I'm pleased with the positive progress we've made today.

"A formal offer has now been made to trade unions, which I hope will be considered."We need to continue to press the Scottish government for more flexibility in the use of council resources and fairer funding to sustain services."

Unite industrial officer Alison Maclean said: "While the 5% offer is an improvement it is important to emphasise that it comes at a time when broader inflation has now hit a 40-year high at 12.3%.

"Unite's local government committee will urgently consider this latest offer.

"At this juncture the strikes for next week continue as planned."

Inflation reached 11.8% in June.

GMB Scotland senior organiser Keir Greenaway said: "The latest proposals will be considered by our local government committee, but the principle of a flat rate award is a key demand of the trade union pay claim.

"For any offer to be deemed worthy of our members' full consultation the biggest cash increases must go to the lowest paid."

Johanna Baxter, head of local government at Unison Scotland, said: "We welcome the fact there appears to be more money on the table but we are a long way from a formal pay offer which would provide clarity over what workers will receive in their pay packets, and on which we can consult our members.

"We are days away from our planned strike action and we will do everything we can to get the clarity we need to understand how this additional money will be distributed and what it will mean for members in their pockets."

Local government minister Shona Robison said: "Throughout discussions, despite ministers having no formal role in the pay negotiations between councils and their employees, we have sought to work collaboratively with Cosla while providing full transparency around our financial position.

"All areas of the public sector are having to make challenging savings to stay within existing budgets.

"The UK government has provided no further funding for these pressures with last year's Spending Review not taking account of the levels of pay uplift needed or the wider effects of inflation.

"Nevertheless, we have sought to support a meaningful revised offer in the face of the cost emergency."