Council leaders reconvened from recess yesterday (24th July) for a special meeting to discuss the ongoing pay negotiations with Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Unions.
COSLA Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Katie Hagmann, commented following the meeting: “We are disappointed that the Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Trade Unions have chosen to reject the revised pay offer made on 18th July.
“We have been consistently clear that this offer of 3.2% over 12 months is at the absolute limit of affordability for councils, given the extremely challenging financial situation Local Government is facing. We believe this offer, which is above inflation, is fair, strong and credible. There is no more money available within existing council budgets to fund an increased offer without unacceptable and damaging cuts to jobs and services.
“COSLA remains committed to continuing our negotiations towards finding a solution as quickly as possible, seeking to do all we can to avoid industrial action and its damaging impact on our communities.
“In response to calls from Trade Unions, COSLA Leaders agreed today (24th July) to raise the matter of local government finance and local government pay with the Scottish Government. As no decisions can be taken until these discussions have taken place, we request that the trade unions pause their industrial action.
“COSLA are in the process of contacting the Trade Unions and Scottish Government on this. Council Leaders value the Local Government workforce and their essential work across our communities and remain committed to reaching an agreeable solution as quickly as possible.”
COSLA has made a new pay offer for the Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Workforce.The offer, a 3.2% uplift on all Spinal Column Points, covers the period 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025.
This ‘competitive’ offer is:
Worth more than the first year of the Scottish Government’s current Public Sector Pay Policy.
Higher than current inflation (CPI).
At the very limit of affordability for councils in the current challenging financial circumstances.
Is a strong, fair and credible pay offer, reflecting the high value council Leaders place on the Local Government workforce and the invaluable work they do every day serving communities across Scotland.
COSLA has requested that our trade unions seek their members’ views on this improved offer and that they suspend plans for industrial action whilst this is considered.
COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Katie Hagmann, said: “Following ongoing and constructive engagement with our Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Trade Unions, COSLA has today (18th July) written formally to the Trade Unions with a revised pay offer for the SJC Local Government workforce.
“This is for a 3.2% pay uplift at all pay points, for a one-year period of 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025, in line with the current SJC pay year. After listening to our Trade Union colleagues, the offer does not propose a change in the pay settlement date, which featured in our earlier offer. It is important to stress that this revised, fair offer is at the absolute limit of affordability for councils, given the severe financial constraints Local Government is facing.
“This strong offer is worth more than the first year of the Scottish Government’s current Public Sector Pay Policy. It is a strong, fair and credible pay offer, reflecting the high value council Leaders place on the Local Government workforce and the invaluable work they do every day serving communities across Scotland.
“We value the collective bargaining process with our Trade Union partners and remain committed to reaching a speedy and mutually agreeable resolution to pay discussions. We request that our Trade Union colleagues seek their members’ views on this improved offer and that they suspend any plans for industrial action whilst this is considered.”
Campaigning organisation 38 Degrees said: “This is a momentous election. It is a message from across the UK that people want change. But today is not progress – it is just the chance to deliver it. Labour have won big on a message of change. Now they have to make that change real.
Commenting on the result of the General Election, STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “A new dawn has broken. It cannot be a false one.
“We congratulate Labour on its victory. The new Government can offer hope to workers after 14 years of Tory attacks on our communities, our people and our public services. Through cooperation with the Scottish Government, we can invest in jobs and services.
“The change that the new Prime Minister offered during the campaign must start now. This is day one of his Labour Government. We need decisive action to turn our back on the austerity-driven, public service-slashing, trade union-attacking ways of the Tory past.
“It’s time to rebuild. We will work with the Prime Minister to deliver a progressive Scotland that delivers for working people. He must now deliver for us.”
Responding to the result of the UK general election, David McNeil, SCVO Strategic Director of Development, said:“I would like to offer my congratulations to Keir Starmer on his appointment as Prime Minister.
“There is a pressing need for a more humane politics that puts people and communities first. The new government must move quickly to deliver just that.
“Everyday charities, community organisations and faith groups across Scotland deal with the consequences of decisions made at Westminster – on immigration, social security, employment law, the economy and more.
“Our sector holds a wealth of experience in addressing major societal issues. The knowledge we hold should be seen as an asset to policy and practice design from the outset. This is an opportunity that the new UK government must grasp with both hands.
“It is welcome that, over the weekend, the new Prime Minister and First Minister of Scotland met to commit to improving the relationship between the Scottish and UK Governments. It is our hope that this reset in relations will benefit voluntary organisations across Scotland, and the communities and people that they serve.”
Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, Local Government Information Unit said: “As we witness a change of government, we should be proud of our democracy and grateful to the electoral administrators who make it all happen and to all the candidates, winners and losers, who put themselves up for election.
“We offer special congratulations to all the councillors and council leaders entering parliament.
“We know that local government stands ready to work with the new government and we offer a reminder that national success has local foundations. Labour has set out clear missions for government but these can only be achieved in partnership with local democratic institutions.
“We congratulate the new government and we urge it to set out a new relationship with councils across the country based on genuine collaboration and parity of esteem.”
The Fire Brigade Union said: “Finally, after 14 years of misery, the Tories are gone. Now the work begins to undo the destruction they caused and improve working people’s lives.“
COSLA’s President, Councillor Shona Morrison, has written to the new Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer and the Secretary of State for Scotland, Ian Murray, following the announcement of the results of the UK 2024 General Election.
Councillor Morrison said: “Firstly, I would like to extend my congratulations to the new Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer. Today I have written to the new Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Scotland outlining some of the key issues faced by our local government members and the communities they represent.
“We will welcome opportunities to work closely with the UK Government and Scottish Government as partners to improve the wellbeing of people in our communities, continue on the vitally important journey towards a just transition to net zero, and ensure that those in our communities facing the most difficult challenges are fully supported by their local services.
“Our membership, Scotland’s 32 Councils, are the closest sphere of government to people in our communities, and deliver essential services for those communities every day.
“The incoming Government must listen to local government, take into account of our concerns and expertise, and work in partnership with us to ensure there is fair funding and empowerment to make the most effective decisions for the people we are elected to represent.”
Waste and recycling workers in Edinburgh are being balloted for strike action over a pay dispute.
UNISON, Scotland’s largest local government union, has notified City of Edinburgh Council today (Monday) that official strike ballot papers will be sent out next Monday (June 10). The ballot will close three weeks later (July 1).
If workers vote to strike, rubbish will pile up in the streets during the Edinburgh Festival and other summer events.
The union says the current pay offer from Cosla to local government workers falls significantly short of what they deserve, and well below the pay claim that unions submitted earlier this year.
UNISON Edinburgh branch secretary David Harrold said: “If workers vote to strike, rubbish will pile up on the streets again at the Edinburgh Festival – one of Scotland’s truly global events.
“The last thing anyone wants to do is take strike action, but local government workers deserve a fair increase to stop their pay lagging behind inflation and other sectors in the economy. This is about more than just waste workers, we are standing together for fair pay for every council worker in the country.”
UNISON regional organiser Greig Kelbie said: “I would urge every waste worker in the ballot to look for their ballot envelope and return it as soon as possible.
We need to send a clear and resounding message that we demand a fair deal for all council workers. Together, we can make a difference for every council worker who deserves fair pay.”
LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIONS SET FOR SUMMER STRIKE ACTION
COSLA wrote to the Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Trade Unions with a formal pay offer for Scotland’s Local Authority workforce on Thursday – but their ‘strong, fair and credible’ offer has been firmly rebuffed by trade unions representing council workers.
Making the formal offer, COSLA said in a statement: “Following a number of very constructive SJC Steering Group negotiating meetings in recent weeks, COSLA has today (23rd May) written to the Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Trade Unions with a formal pay offer for the SJC Local Government workforce. “
This offer is for a settlement which runs for an 18-month period of 1st April 2024 to 30th September 2025. There will be a 2.2% uplift from 1st April, with a further 2% uplift taking effect from 1 October. This therefore includes a change in the settlement date to 1 October.
“This offer fully utilises the negotiating mandate provided by COSLA Leaders and is at the limit of affordability, given the severe financial constraints councils are facing in the context of a flat cash Local Government settlement.
“We believe that this is a strong, fair, and credible offer which reflects the high value council Leaders place on the Local Government workforce and the invaluable work they do every day to serve our communities.”
The May 2024 pay offer to SJC Unions explained
COSLA’s offer to SJC Trade Unions on 23rd May 2024 is detailed in the bullet points below:
A 2.2% increase from 1 April 2024
Further 2% increase from 1 October 2024
Change settlement date to 1 October
Agree to develop negotiation protocol
This offer covers 1 April 2024 – 30 September 2025.
A STRONG, FAIR and CREDIBLE OFFER? NO, SAY UNIONS …
Unite rejects outright COSLA pay offer
Union now moving “full steam ahead” for Summer strike action
Unite the union has confirmed that its representative committee for local government workers have rejected outright the COSLA pay offer.
The offer comprises 2.2 per cent effective from 1 April to 30 September, and then two per cent for a 12-month period effective from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025.
Unite rejected the offer, and the proposal to change the pay anniversary date from April to October on the basis that it is nothing but an attempt to “kick the can down the road”.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:“COSLA has taken months to put a formal pay offer to our local government membership, and it’s a derisory one at that.”
“Unite’s representatives rightly rejected this offer outright. The fight for better jobs, pay and conditions in local government will continue. We are clear that our members shouldn’t settle for anything that doesn’t come close to meeting their demands.”
Unite has confirmed that it is actively preparing to ballot key groups of its local government membership across Scotland.
Unite will announce the details of the industrial action ballot next week as it issued a warning to COSLA and the Scottish government that the union is moving “full steam ahead” towards industrial action this summer period.
Graham McNab, Unite industrial officer, added:“The pay offer doesn’t come close to meeting the aspirations of our members in local government. Unite also opposes the pay anniversary date being moved to October as nothing but a cynical attempt to kick the can down the road.”
“Politicians pretend the cost of living crisis has gone away but that just isn’t the reality for the vast majority of workers in local government who have endured years of low pay, chronic underfunding and record rates of inflation”.
“Unite is moving full steam ahead towards industrial action this summer unless COSLA makes a significantly improved pay offer.”
Pay offer to council workers is too low and should be rejected, says UNISON
Local government staff in Scotland are worth more than the pay increase they’ve been offered, UNISON said on Thursday.
The union is to consult thousands of council workers across Scotland over a pay offer which was made on Thursday, with a recommendation they vote to reject it.
UNISON is calling for an improvement to pay that fairly rewards council staff for the essential services they provide and starts to reverse years of pay cuts they have experienced.
Employer organisation Cosla has made a two-stage offer which runs for 18 months, which gives a 2.2% increase for the first six months and an additional 2% for a further 12 months of the deal, ending in September next year.
Chair of UNISON Scotland’s local government committee, Colette Hunter said: “The offer falls short of the level local government workers deserve and the union is recommending staff vote to reject it when they are consulted next week.
“Workers have seen the value of their pay fall over the past ten years, while often being asked to do even more. They provide vital services to their communities by caring for the most vulnerable, educating children, waste and recycling, and keeping people safe. Council workers need a pay rise that reflects this.”
GMB Scotland dismisses council pay offer as too late and too low
GMB Scotland has also rejected Cosla’s pay offer to council workers.
The union, one of the biggest in Scotland’s public sector, branded the offer too late and too low, and warned of looming industrial action.
GMB’s 20,000 members in Scots councils have already voted overwhelmingly in a consultative ballot to back industrial action if there was no acceptable offer and a formal ballot of care workers is already underway with more planned.
Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in public services, confirmed the union’s local government committee rejected the offer at a meeting this afternoon.
He said: “The offer to Scotland’s council workers is too late and too low. The delay was unacceptable and the offer is unacceptable.
“It means council workers in Scotland being offered less than colleagues in England and Wales and it raises grave concerns about councils’ promise to pay all workers £15 an hour by 2026.
“This offer comes nowhere close to matching that commitment.
“We do not need any more empty promises and excuses. We need a pay offer that fairly reflects the crucial work being done by our members in local authorities delivering the frontline services that Scotland is built on.
“Inflation might be slowing but bills continue to rise and workers and their families are still being crushed by the cost of living.
“Our members in social care are among the lowest paid council workers delivering some of the most important frontline services.
“They deserve better than this. So do their colleagues and so does every Scot relying on them to deliver the services Scotland is built on.”
Scotland’s councils faced a collective gap of up to £585 million between the money needed to deliver services and the money available when setting their budgets this year. This is estimated to increase to £780 million by 2026/27. Ever tougher decisions must be made to ensure councils are financially sustainable.
Councils are addressing this most commonly by making ongoing savings, using reserves and raising money through charging citizens for some services.
An Accounts Commission report on the budgets set by councils for 2024/25 says that a near six per cent increase in Scottish Government revenue funding to councils – totalling £13.25 billion – masks significant underlying financial challenges and strain. Almost all the increases in funding have been ring-fenced for policies and to cover the costs of pay increases in 2023/24.
Whilst councils received £147 million of government funding to mitigate the impacts of this year’s council tax freeze, there are longer-term financial consequences as future rises will provide less income for councils. Also, a third of councils say the government funding does not fully-fund the freeze.
The full impact of proposed savings by councils on service delivery and communities is unclear. There has been significant public opposition in some council areas to cuts to services, with new and increased charges also affecting people.
We will continue to monitor this area closely, as councils must meet savings in full this year. Failing to do so will intensify and exacerbate the impacts on services in future years, as further savings will be needed.
Councils must look to the future as they make increasingly difficult decisions to deliver savings, at scale, to address projected budget gaps. Planning and delivering on transformational change are vital if councils are to be financially sustainable.
Derek Yule, Member of the Accounts Commission said: “It’s getting harder for councils to do more with less. They have to find and then deliver significant levels of savings to address budget gaps.
“Fully engaging with local people and being clear about the different and difficult budget choices is vital, whilst understanding the impacts on the most vulnerable.
“Councils need to improve the way in which they present financial information, and do this in a clear, consistent and accessible way.
“The Accounts Commission calls on councils to increase the accessibility and transparency of publicly available budget information. This will allow for improved comparison between councils, particularly around key information including actions to tackle existing and future budget gaps, as well as savings plans.”
Argyll & Bute finally agrees to keep rates at 2023-24 levels
A council tax freeze will be delivered in all of Scotland’s local authorities after Argyll & Bute became the final council to accept Scottish Government funding to keep rates at last year’s levels.
As a result, council taxpayers in all but one of Scotland’s council areas will not pay any more for their bills than they did in 2023-24. Households in Inverclyde will receive a planned one-off rebate in May to reverse the impact of their 8.2% increase in council tax.
Deputy First Minister Shona Robison said: “We know many households continue to struggle with the impact of rising prices, and this council tax freeze – funded by the Scottish Government – is just one of many ways that we’re offering support.
“Council tax is already lower in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK, and over two million households will now benefit from this freeze.
“We deeply value the role local authorities play in Scotland’s communities, which is why – in the face of a profoundly challenging financial situation – we have made available record funding of more than £14 billion to councils in 2024-25, a real-terms increase of 2.5% compared with the previous year.”
Care experienced children and young people will receive further support to improve attainment, attendance and wellbeing throughout their education and beyond.
The Scottish Government will provide £10.5 million to be shared by local authorities across Scotland through the Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund.
Launched in 2018, the funding is provided to local authorities and aims to improve the educational outcomes for care experienced children and young people, supported by the strategic goals of The Promise and the Scottish Attainment Challenge.
The fund has so far provided more than £60 million to deliver initiatives such as mentoring programmes and out of school support.
First Minister Humza Yousaf, said: “I am fully committed to Keeping the Promise – every single child should grow up loved, safe, supported and respected, as well as being given every opportunity to flourish and reach their full potential.
“Supporting care-experienced young people includes helping them to continue or re-enter education and The Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund plays a vital role in delivering additional support to improve educational outcomes.
“We know it is making a real difference as the latest figures show more care experienced children and young people are staying in school for longer and achieving higher qualifications.
“Improving outcomes for care-experienced young people requires a truly national effort, and the Scottish Government will continue to work with local authorities, schools and others to ensure that all young people in Scotland can meet their full potential.”
COSLA Children and Young People Spokesperson Cllr Tony Buchanan said: “Local Government is committed to keeping the Promise made to care experience children and young people by 2030.
“We have welcomed this funding, which councils have used in recent years for a number of innovative approaches responding to the diverse needs of care experience children and young people across Scotland. This has included ‘virtual’ head teacher and mentoring schemes.
“We will continue to work with the Scottish Government, across Local Government and with our partners across the education system to ensure that all children and young people grow up loved, safe and respected and achieve the best possible outcomes.”
UNISON Scotland has called for a above-inflation pay increase for local government workers as it submitted its 2024/25 joint pay claim.
The unions – UNISON and Unite – submitted the claim earlier this year, although COSLA leaders are unlikely to respond before their budget allocations are finalised. UNISON has made it clear we want a deal agreed as close to the April 1, 2024 implementation date as possible.
Local government workers are continuing to struggle with the cost-of-living crisis and UNISON has warned there is a real risk that workers will find better-paid, less-stressful work elsewhere if their pay continues to lose its value.
UNISON says that an above-inflation pay increase is the only way to maintain the staff levels necessary to deliver services to the public, looking after the most vulnerable, giving children the education they need and keeping neighbourhoods safe.
The key elements of UNISON’s claim are:
A one-year settlement that runs for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.
For those on the lowest pay – an above-inflation increase in line with the aspiration, agreed with UNISON in November 2023, to achieve implementation of a minimum rate of pay for all local government workers of £15 per hour by 1 April 26.
An increase of 7% to all spinal column points (or an increase of £1.60 to the hourly rate whichever is greater) and related allowances.
Urgent progress to be made on how we achieve a no detriment reduction in the working week to enable members to achieve a better work-life balance.
A review of the scope and level of the Distant Islands Allowance.
No less than parity with other local government bargaining groups.
Lilian Macer, UNISON’s Scottish Secretary, said: “An above-inflation wage rise is the only way to maintain the staff levels necessary to deliver services to the public. Unless councils and schools can pay competitive rates, employees will find better-paid, less-stressful work elsewhere and new recruits will be thin on the ground.
“Our members tell us how every day how they are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and how they are struggling to make ends meet. Local government workers must be properly rewarded for the vital services they provide.
UNISON have signed a joint letter with Cosla and other unions to the Deputy First Minister, Shona Robison MSP, saying it is clear to both employers and unions “that funding levels for councils have not kept pace with increased demand for services.”
They say “Local Government is facing a cut in real terms to both core revenue and capital budgets. As a proportion of funding allocated to the Scottish Budget, the percentage for local government has declined.”
And that “this is impacted by both the growing need of services due to demographic pressures and the ongoing cost of living crisis.”
It is in everyone’s interest to achieve a sustainable settlement on pay at the earliest opportunity.
The letter states: “Scottish Local Government settlements must be sustainable alongside the significant budget challenges facing councils and it is vital that the approach to our workforce is fair, acknowledging the essential front-line services that are delivered every day.”
