School staff in Dumfries and Galloway are set to be balloted on potential strike action over a pay dispute.
GMB Scotland is asking members if they are willing to take industrial action after the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities refused to budge on an offer worth 5.5 per cent or ask the Scottish Government for more funding.
Staff in schools and nurseries – but not teachers – will have until the end of July to have their say after overwhelmingly rejecting the deal on offer.
GMB Scotland senior organiser, Keir Greenaway, said: “Given COSLA is unwilling or unable to offer a fair pay rise or ask ministers to intervene, we have been left with no choice but to ask our members if they are willing to take industrial action in support of our claim.
“They are suffering through an unprecedented cost of living crisis but have been offered a rise that is less than last year, despite the cost of living being even higher, and less than is being offered to council workers in England and Wales.
“It is absolutely no surprise workers, who are doing some of the most important jobs in Scotland, are unwilling to accept what is effectively a pay cut.
“Sadly, it is equally unsurprising that COSLA is unwilling to revise its offer or ask for government support.
“That intransigence means we have no option but to ballot our members on industrial action.”
Meanwhile, the Unite union wants First Minister Humza Yousaf to step in after COSLA voted against approaching ministers for extra funding.
It is considering balloting members over strike action after the pay offer – which union bosses claim is worth five per cent – was rejected.
General secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “The Scottish Government needs to intervene because COSLA, for a second year in a row, seems utterly incapable of sorting out a fair pay offer.
“The reality is that the current five per cent offer needs to be significantly improved upon or we will have no choice but to ballot our members on strike action.”
Unison has warned that local government strikes are more likely after the latest round of talks ended without a deal.
Johanna Baxter, the union’s head of local government, said: “Our members will be outraged that councillors would rather pick a fight with their own workforce and see us back in industrial dispute than stand up to the very government that is starving them of funds.
“COSLA should be standing up for council services and the workers who deliver them but I fear they have just demonstrated the limitation of their effectiveness.
“We know that councils face difficult decisions due to the financial predicament the Scottish Government have left them in – we just didn’t think that standing up for their workforce would be one of them.”
A COSLA spokesperson insisted local authority leaders had made a “strong” pay offer which “clearly illustrates the value councils place on their workforce, and compares well to other sectors”.
The spokesperson said: “While the offer value in year is 5.5 per cent, the average uplift on salaries going into the next financial year is seven per cent.
“Those on the Scottish local government living wage would get 9.12 per cent and those at higher grades, where councils are experiencing severe recruitment challenges, would see 6.05 per cent.
“It is an offer which recognises both the vital role of the people who deliver our essential services across councils every day and the value that we, as employers, place on them.
“Crucially, it also raises the Scottish local government living wage by 99p to £11.84 per hour and sets out a commitment to work with our trade unions to develop a road map to £15 per hour in a way that protects our workforce and services we deliver.”
“Despite UK Government cuts, the Scottish Government announced a further £100 million as part of this year’s budget for councils to support a meaningful pay rise for local government workers.”
