A union has accused Scottish Water bosses of displaying “arrogance” and “deliberately wrecking” pay talks ahead of strike action by staff.
Unite has previously accused executives of using talks through conciliation service Acas as a means to “water down” a pay offer made to the workforce and fall back on an offer made last year the union considers to be “inferior”.
The union argues the latest offer amounts to a basic pay rise of 3.4%, or £1,050 for those on the lowest grades of pay, over a nine-month period. Unison has calculated the offer to amount to a wage increase this year of 2.6% or £1,050, whichever is the higher amount.
Unite, which is Scotland’s largest trade union, compared the amount on offer to its members to what it described as the “eye-watering” executive pay levels at Scottish Water as well as bonuses and benefits paid in 2023/24.
Unite, Unison and GMB Scotland members will take part in a 24-hour walkout on Friday, with pickets staged outside Scottish Water offices in Edinburgh, Inverness, Stirling and Dundee, and at waste water treatment works in Glasgow, Ayrshire and Lanarkshire.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The arrogance shown by Scottish Water executives to the workforce and the wider Scottish public who rely on this essential service is astonishing.
“The pay packages of Scottish Water executives is eye-watering, yet they have deliberately wrecked pay talks.
“Unite will fully support our members in their fight for better jobs, pay and conditions at Scottish Water.”
Unite industrial officer Sam Ritchie said: “Strike action is set to hit Scottish Water for one simple reason and that is the two-faced behaviour of its highly paid executives.
“Scottish Water has strung our members along while taking pay offers off the table and replacing them with a watered-down one. That is unacceptable and our members won’t stand for this anymore.
“Industrial action will inevitably result in disruption to services, but this is entirely the fault of Scottish Water’s management who have had every opportunity to resolve this dispute but have chosen not to.”
Unison Scotland regional organiser Emma Phillips said: “Employees are sick of being taken for granted and underpaid, while their work is farmed out to private contractors, at even greater expense to the public.
“Workers have suffered a decade of pay cuts and wages haven’t kept up with inflation.
“Staff have been left feeling undervalued, and the company is struggling to retain its workforce. Things need to change, and that must start today.”
Claire Greer, GMB Scotland organiser, said the priority of her union is to resolve the dispute but that lessons must be learned.
“This dispute is straightforward, the issues are clear and a resolution easily achievable,” she said.
“The persistent refusal of this publicly-owned company to negotiate in a sensible, productive way should be a concern for every taxpayer.”
Scottish Water has been approached for comment.
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