Council strikes could return within weeks, says UNISON

21st October 2022

UNISON, and sister trade unions Unite and GMB, are threatening pull out local government school staff and refuse workers on strike again.

Strike action was suspended after UNISON members voted for an offer which was made to them by COSLA on 2nd September 2022.

Trade union strikes remain suspended but mandates remain live meaning UNISON can legally call their local government members back out on strike, again.

COSLA now claim that the elements of the original deal - an extra days leave and the payment of SSSC registration fees for those working in social work, social care and early years - were only for one year not in perpetuity.

UNISON have written to COSLA today to say: "It is frankly outrageous that the draft pay circular sent to us on 7th October sought to time limit elements of the offer that had no time limitation on them in the original offer letter or in the discussions we had prior to it"

"That this remains unresolved should be a source of deep embarrassment. As has previously been advised our strike mandates remain live and we are all under increasing pressure from members, who are rapidly losing faith in their employer, to lift the strike suspensions if a resolution is not achieved quickly."

Council staff are still waiting for their increased pay uplifts to be included in their pay packets.

Johanna Baxter, UNISON Scotland head of local government said: "This is appalling behaviour - either the employer did not even understand the offer they themselves were making or they did and are now trying to renegue on it before its even been implemented. Either way it will be our members that suffer if they are allowed to get away with it.

We have made clear to the employer and the Scottish Government that our strike mandates remain live and all three trade unions are under increasing pressure from members, who are rapidly losing faith in their employer, to lift the strike suspensions if a resolution and call members out if a resolution is not achieved quickly.

Our members will rightly be questioning the value of COSLA if they cannot be trusted to draft an offer that they understand or uphold one that they do understand. "

It should be a source of deep embarrassment to COSLA that more than six months since the pay implementation date and in the middle of the worst cost of living crises our country has seen, waiting on their pay rise"

The key details of the improved offer from 2 September are:

-An increase of £2000 for those earning up to £20,500
-An increase of £1925 for those earning between £20,500 to £39,000
-A 5% increase for those earning between £39,000 to £60,000
-A maximum increase of £3k for those earning above £60,000
-The removal of SSSC fees where application (social care registration fees)
-1 extra days annual leave
-All increases based on a 36hr week calculator (apart from those over 60k who will have 37hr calculator)
This equates to a total pay bill uplift of 7.5% with 87% of Local Government workers receiving fully consolidated uplifts from the date of implementation of between 5-10%