Following a special meeting of Council Leaders yesterday to discuss Local Government Pay, COSLA has made a ‘significantly improved’ formal offer to the trade unions.
Scotland’s council leaders welcomed that Scottish Government had provided funding to take a pay offer beyond the 3.2% previously offered by COSLA, recognising the financial position facing councils while also providing firm assurances around any recurring additional funding.
This additional funding means that the revised offer is better than the offer made to Local Government workers in the rest of the UK.
If the offer is accepted everyone will receive at least 3.6% and for the first pay point on our pay scales, there will be an increase of £1292 (or 5.63%), The overall offer value is 4.27%.
In making this improved offer, COSLA is requesting that strike action is suspended while it is considered by the unions, who have been made aware of Leaders’ concerns that the additional funding may be at risk if strikes go ahead.
COSLA’s Resources Spokespeople Cllr Katie Hagmann said:“Having worked hard over the last week with Scottish Government to increase and guarantee additional funding, Leaders are now in a position to make this improved offer to our trade unions.
“This offer reflects what trade unions have asked for and we hope that they will now be prepared to call off the strikes while they put that offer to their members.”
Union tells councils to expect eight days of industrial action
GMB Scotland today confirmed bin strikes will begin within weeks.The union has formally served notice on councils across Scotland to expect eight days of industrial action by members in waste and recycling starting on August 14.
Bins will go unemptied from the smallest villages to the biggest cities, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, where the Fringe and International Festival starts this weekend.
The industrial action comes after pay talks with Cosla, representing Scotland’s councils, stalled. The Scottish Government joined negotiations yesterday [TUESDAY].
Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in public services, said a rejected pay offer of 3.2% had failed to match the escalating cost of living or the rise offered to council workers in England and Wales.
He said: “We had constructive talks with the Scottish Government and Cosla yesterday but our members are less interested in constructive talks than fair pay.
“The process has gone on too long with too little progress.
“We are more than halfway through the year and there is no more time to waste discussing old offers with new wrapping. Enough is enough.
“Industrial action will start in two weeks unless ministers and local authorities identify the money needed to make an acceptable offer.
“These strikes will be disruptive to all the Scots who rely on our members’ work but would not be necessary if councils had shown a greater urgency and sense of realism.”
Unite announces strike in 18 council areas
Today we served notice to 18 councils that Unite members in Waste and Cleansing, and other services, will strike in 18 councils for 8 days from 14th August.
Strike action is set to begin at 5am on Wednesday 14 August and end at 4:59am on Thursday 22 August at the following 18 councils:
Aberdeen City Council
Aberdeenshire Council
Angus Council
City of Edinburgh Council
Dumfries & Galloway Council
Dundee City Council
East Ayrshire Council
East Renfrewshire Council
Falkirk Council
Fife Council
Glasgow City Council
Inverclyde Council
North Ayrshire Council
North Lanarkshire Council
Renfrewshire Council
South Ayrshire Council
The Highland Council
West Lothian Council.
In Edinburgh
In Edinburgh, all Unite and GMB members in Waste and Cleansing will strike. Unite members in Fleet Services will also strike. Unison’s reballot in Waste and Cleansing opened on 26 July, so results are awaited – this does not impact the timetable of the strike action.
On 24 July, Unison began balloting members across the country in schools, early years and family centres, to prepare for a second wave of strike action if needed. Their ballot closes on 29 August.
Unite local government committee will soon meet to discuss balloting these areas.
Talks with the Scottish Government
Yesterday, Unite officials, including your branch secretary Brian Robertson, and those from Unison and GMB, held ‘positive talks’ with Shona Robison MSP, cabinet secretary for finance and local government and COSLA. Unite warned, however, that a new ‘credible offer’ must be tabled ‘imminently’ and said it would not suspend its scheduled strike action until that occurs.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Thousands of Unite members will take strike action next month unless there is a new credible pay offer put on the table.
“Our membership has waited months for an offer which reflects their professionalism and the dedication which they put into delivering vital local services.”
Scottish council workers offered less
The current COSLA pay offer amounts to a 3.2% increase for a one-year period between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025.
Unite has said the pay offer ‘grossly undervalues’ Scottish council workers in contrast with the offer made to UK counterparts.
An offer of £1,290 has been made to council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the National Joint Council (NJC). This equates to a rise of 67 pence per hour or 5.2% for a council worker earning around £25,000 based on a 37-hour week.
Members should note that Unite members south of the border rejected this offer.
In contrast, the COSLA offer of 3.2% equates to £800 or a 41 pence per hour increase. The pay offer difference means that a Scottish council worker would need to earn above £40,000 to match the offer being made to council workers across the UK. This means the lowest paid council workers are being disproportionately hit by COSLA’s current pay offer.
Graham McNab, Unite industrial officer, added: “Unite stands ready to enter into meaningful negotiations at any time but our members need to see a significant shift in the coming days to avert strike action. Strike action is not yet inevitable but action from the politicians must be imminent.
“There is a window of opportunity to resolve this dispute but the politicians should be under no illusions that our members will take strike action if necessary to secure the pay offer which they deserve.”
The city council commented online: ‘Members of the trade unions GMB & Unite are planning strike action in Edinburgh from 14 – 22 August.
‘Bin collections & street cleaning services will be severely disrupted across the city during this time.’
The following services are not expected to run during the strike: – Waste & recycling collections, including all communal and kerbside bins & boxes – Street cleansing including litter bins – Recycling centres – Flytipping collections – Bulky uplift service – Public toilets.
‘This is a national dispute over pay, with strike action planned in other councils across the country unless agreement is reached. Discussions are ongoing between COSLA, trade unions and the Scottish Government with a view to agreeing a pay deal and resolving the dispute.
‘Please prepare for the strike action by visiting our website regularly for the latest updates and advice. Please tell neighbours, friends and family who may not have heard about the upcoming strike so they can prepare.’
Council Leader calls for urgent resolution to pay dispute
Cammy Day has called on the Scottish Government, COSLA and trade unions to find a solution to the national pay dispute and prevent significant disruption during Edinburgh’s busiest month.
Trade unions Unite the Union and GMB today announced plans for strike action across the waste and cleansing service in the Capital from 14–22 August.
Strike action is planned in other councils across Scotland unless agreement is reached to end the dispute.
Councillor Day said:“I’m disappointed that negotiations between Scottish Government, COSLA and the unions have so far failed to avert this action across Scotland.
“While acknowledging that talks are ongoing, including yesterday’s meeting with the Cabinet Secretary, urgent progress needs to be made if we are to prevent significant disruption during one of the most important and enjoyable periods in Edinburgh’s calendar.
“I firmly believe that all council colleagues deserve to be paid fairly for the work they do and have every right to take this action and have their voices heard. As the lowest funded council in Scotland, it’s time for the Scottish Government to properly fund our capital city and its services.
“I’m extremely concerned about the impact this will have on bin collections and street cleaning services, as well as the cleanliness of our city. But I want to assure residents that we’ll be doing all we can to minimise any impact on essential services.
“We’ve published advice on our website for residents and businesses on how to safely and responsibly store their waste – and will continue to post updates as the situation develops. I’d ask residents to please share this information with any friends, family or neighbours who may not be online.
“We’ll also be writing out to businesses to encourage them to remind their customers that they can return their litter back to their premises for disposal, and to use reusable packaging where possible. We’re also working with our transport and hospitality partners to ensure visitors are aware of the strike and its impact on the city.
I urge the Scottish Government and COSLA to stay round the table with the unions and find a way of averting, what will be, a hugely damaging dispute for Edinburgh – and for Scotland as a whole.”
Union says workers are being ‘grossly undervalued’ compared with UK council counterparts
Unite has confirmed that its committee for local government workers has rejected the latest COSLA pay offer following a meeting in Glasgow yesterday (22 July 2024).
Unite said no ‘extra cash’ has been added to the new pay offer by COSLA, which amounts to a 3.2 per cent increase for a one-year period between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. COSLA has taken two months to shift from its previous offer, which was also rejected outright by Unite on 24 May.
Unite is highlighting that the new pay offer ‘grossly undervalues’Scottish council workers in contrast with the offer made to UK counterparts.
An offer of £1,290 has been made to council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the National Joint Council (NJC). This equates to a rise of 67p per hour or 5.2% for a council worker earning around £25,000 based on a 37-hour week. In contrast, the COSLA offer of 3.2% equates to £800 or a 41p per hour increase.
The pay offer difference means that a Scottish council worker would need to earn above £40,000 to match the offer being made to council workers across the UK. This means the lowest paid council workers are being disproportionately hit by COSLA’s offer.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “COSLA has taken months to put a new offer to our local government membership, and it’s one that does absolutely nothing to address more than a decade of deep cuts to pay and services.
“Unless COSLA and the Scottish government move quickly to make an acceptable offer then mountains of rubbish will pile up across the nation’s streets. The politicians have a choice, and one more chance, to resolve this pay dispute before strike action.”
Unite has the largest union membership on the verge of participating in a first wave of strike action involving waste workers, street cleaners, and recycling centre operators.
The union has strike action mandates involving thousands of its members across 16 councils, and it is in the process of re-balloting workers in 5 other councils (see notes to editor).
Graham McNab, Unite industrial officer, added: “COSLA’s latest pay offer doesn’t add any extra cash. It continues to grossly undervalue Scotland’s council workers compared with the offer made to their counterparts across the UK.
“A stinking Scottish summer looms unless COSLA and the Scottish government quickly sort this out by injecting more cash into a new offer. Any offer will need to value the lowest paid council workers, at least, on similar terms as the offer made to other UK council workers.”
“The Scottish government can no longer sit idly by, we are on the brink of nationwide strike action which could last for months.”
Senior Practitioners will take industrial action in a dispute over failure to deal with workers’ issues and imposition of changes
Unite members within Social Care Direct (Children’s Services) are set to strike from 16 to 18 April in a dispute about imposed changes at work, continued mistreatment from management and the failure to deal with issues raised by workers.
Read on to understand the impact and how you can help your colleagues in dispute:
Front door to social work
Social Care Direct is the ‘front door’ to social work for children and families in Edinburgh, therefore the strike will have a significant impact. However, the Council have chosen to ignore workers in this area, knowing that this would result in industrial action that creates risks.
The workers are long-standing council workers and senior professionals. They have dedicated their lives to protecting children’s welfare and are committed to safeguarding and helping families in Edinburgh. All along Unite members have been ready to engage with management to find a resolution. However, members have been forced to take action as a last resort as management refuse to take their concerns seriously or engage in a meaningful way.
How we got here
Unite members raised concerns in January 2023 and are still awaiting a response. All the while chances were impose on the service, without consulting with workers or including them in the process.
Unite members are welcoming of changes—in fact, have been calling for them for some time—but we are clear that all changes must be done with workers not to them.
All too familiar
The Council’s failures here come in the context of the Council having allegedly improved how they deal with employee concerns following the Tanner Inquiry and last year’s Stanyte vs Edinburgh Council employment tribunal, which ruled that the council failed to appropriately handle a grievance.
UNISON has served notice of further strike action in the dispute over local government pay to South Lanarkshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh and Fife councils.
Staff working in schools, and early years establishments linked to schools, within the four local authorities will walk out on Wednesday 8th November.
This is the second week of a rolling programme of action that will take place, says UNISON, with further strike dates and other councils being announced in due course.
UNISON have already notified Glasgow City, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire and Inverclyde councils, that staff working in schools, and early years establishments linked to schools will be taking strike action next Wednesday (1st November).
The move comes after UNISON members voted overwhelmingly to reject Cosla’s latest pay offer. More than 21,000 workers represented by the union took three days of strike action in September, resulting in the closure of 75% of Scotland’s schools.
UNISON Scotland’s head of local government Johanna Baxter said: “Despite our repeated calls for Cosla and the Scottish government to get back round the table for meaningful discussions we have had no invitations to even exploratory talks.
“The union is committed to reaching a resolution to this dispute as soon as possible. And there is still time for Cosla and the Scottish Government to get back round the negotiating table to explore every avenue to reaching a negotiated settlement and avoid further disruption for parents and students.
The strength of feeling amongst UNISON’s 91,000 local government members, who voted overwhelmingly to reject Cosla’s latest pay offer, is clear. They are determined to continue to fight to get an improved pay offer.”
UNISON Scotland chair of the local government committee Mark Ferguson said: “No one takes the decision to strike lightly.
“I’m a parent myself, so I understand the disruption strikes cause. But if wages don’t rise, school staff will leave for other jobs beyond education that pay significantly more. That would be a disaster and would help no one.
“The current offer amounts to a real-terms pay cut and adds further stress to a dedicated workforce already suffering from the cost-of-living crisis.
“Cosla and the Scottish government need to give school staff a decent wage rise, fund any increase properly and commit to implementing a minimum underpinning rate of pay of £15 per hour for all local government workers.”
Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland – Further Education Lecturers’ Association (EIS-FELA) at Edinburgh College yesterday took the first in a series of days of strike action in response to compulsory redundancies at the College.
The EIS-FELA Branch at Edinburgh College has had an active strike mandate in place for some weeks in pursuit of a dispute regarding compulsory redundancies, which has been successful in reducing the number of jobs under threat, through negotiation.
The EIS wrote to the College Principal last week urging further talks. Despite this, the College has rejected the appeal of one member of the lecturing staff against compulsory redundancy as of 30th June.
EIS General Secretary, Andrea Bradley said, “The EIS-FELA Branch at Edinburgh College has been left with no option but to proceed with strike action today in the face of wilful intransigence by the management of the College.
“Given the size and scope of Edinburgh College as an organisation, the EIS would have anticipated meaningful discussions and offers of retraining or upskilling for the colleague who faces unemployment as of Friday.
“Despite retraining or upskilling being raised on several occasions by EIS representatives, and despite a so-called recruitment freeze having been abandoned, these discussions have not taken place, thereby limiting suitable alternatives to redundancy for the colleague who also happens to be an EIS Branch Rep.”
Ms Bradley continued: “It is difficult to fathom how such a large college, which delivers such an array of courses, would be unable to avoid this redundancy situation, especially as teaching hours seem to be available on college timetables for next term, based upon information received by the EIS.
“Spurious excuse after excuse has been made by the College as to why the work cannot be offered to the lecturer in question, appearing that the College cares more about targeting union reps and testing the water on compulsory redundancies of lecturers in the sector rather than ensuring the delivery of quality education and Fair Work for lecturing staff.
“The Scottish Government is culpable in this situation too. They have dealt major blows to Further Education in Scotland in the form of flat cash funding settlements and the recent withdrawal of £26 million of funding for FE.
“Lower than predicted student numbers, coupled with the cost-of-living crisis are also causing financial strain within the sector, yet the Scottish Government has sat back and watched these pressures mount towards the implementation of limited voluntary severance schemes and the very real threat of large numbers of compulsory redundancies in two colleges – City of Glasgow and Edinburgh.
“EIS-FELA, supported by the EIS itself, will not stand by and allow the livelihoods of our members to be threatened in this way. Strike action will continue post-summer unless an acceptable resolution can be reached.
“In the case of Edinburgh College, this should not be anything like the problem that the College has chosen to make it.”
The British Dental Association has announced that dentists in Scotland employed under the same contract as junior doctors, will join their medical colleagues in a 72-hour walkout, the dates of which are yet to be confirmed, if BMA ongoing negotiations with the Scottish government do not result in a credible pay offer.
The overwhelming majority of voters (91%) from this small but important cohort backed industrial action, on a turnout of 79%.
British Dental Association Chair Eddie Crouch said:“Our members stand ready to do whatever it takes to secure a fair deal on pay.
“Just like their medical colleagues these dentists aren’t worth a penny less than they were a decade ago.
“We are hopeful that a negotiated settlement can be found. But our members will take strike action if the Scottish Government fail to come back to the table with a serious pay offer.”
Members of the EIS have voted overwhelmingly to accept the current pay offer proposed by local authority employers and the Scottish Government.
In an online ballot that closed today, 90% of those voting opted to accept the pay offer. Turnout in the ballot was 82% . The EIS represents over 80% of Scotland’s teachers at all grades and in all sectors of education.
Speaking after the ballot result was announced at a meeting of the EIS national Council in Edinburgh yesterday, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said: “EIS members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the current pay offer, with 90% of those voting opting to accept in an online ballot.
“Turnout in the ballot was also high, confirming that Scotland’s teachers believe that it is now time to accept the offer and bring an end to the programme of industrial action in our schools.”
Ms Bradley added, “The acceptance of this offer will mean that, for most teachers, their pay will increase by 12.3% by next month in comparison to current pay levels. This includes a backdated 7% increase from April 2022, and a 5% increase from this April.
“Teachers will also receive a further 2% increase in pay from January next year, with the next pay settlement then scheduled to be negotiated and payable from August 2024 onwards. The total current package will amount to a 14.6% increase in pay for most teachers by January 2024.”
Ms Bradley continued, “EIS members have taken a pragmatic decision in voting to accept the current pay offer. While it does not meet our aspirations in respect of a restorative pay settlement for Scotland’s teachers, it is the best deal that can realistically be achieved in the current political and financial climate without further prolonged industrial action.
“It compares favourably with recent pay settlements across the public sector, and does provide pay certainty for Scotland’s teachers for the next 16 months until the next pay settlement is scheduled to be delivered in August 2024.”
Ms Bradley concluded, “It is deeply regrettable that it took a sustained industrial dispute, and the first programme of national strike action on pay by teachers in forty years, for the Scottish Government and COSLA to finally come up with an acceptable pay offer for Scotland’s hard-working teaching professionals.
“Scotland’s pupils, parents and teachers deserve better, and the Scottish Government and Scotland’s local authorities must commit to ensuring that education is properly funded, and that teachers are fairly paid, in all future years in order that Scottish Education can provide as it should for our young people and for the good of our whole society.”
The EIS has announced 22 additional days of strike action in an escalation of the dispute over teachers’ pay.
This is in addition to the previously announced 16-day programme of rolling strike action, set to begin in schools across the country next week. EIS members have previously taken three days of national strike action – one in November and two in January – in the continuing campaign for a fair pay settlement for the year 2022.
The EIS Executive Committee met yesterday and agreed a programme of additional strike action that will include two days of national strike action in all schools and sectors on 28 February and 1 March, followed by a rolling programme of strikes for 20 days between 13 March and 21 April.
Over the rolling strike period, each local authority area will be impacted by three consecutive days of strike action, with one day of strike action in all schools bookended on either side by one-day strikes in primary and secondary schools.
Commenting following the meeting of EIS Executive Committee, General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “The programme of additional strike action, agreed today, is a direct response to the inaction of the Scottish Government and COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) on teacher pay.
“After a year of dither, delay and disingenuity from the Scottish Government and COSLA, Scotland’s teachers have simply had enough.
“The recent days of strike action by Scotland’s teachers have succeeded in bringing COSLA and the Scottish Government back to the negotiating table – but they have yet to put a single extra penny onto that table.
“Scotland’s teachers rejected a sub-inflationary 5% offer six months ago, and little or no progress has been made in negotiations since. The prospect of 22 additional days of strike action, on top of the 16 days of rolling action set to begin next week, should signal clearly to the Scottish Government and COSLA that they must now act with urgency.
“Our members are resolute and determined to secure a fair pay settlement, which both properly reflects their value and also takes account of the soaring cost of living.”
Talks with COSLA on Thursday produced no improved pay offer.
The EIS condemned the Scottish Government and COSLA for presenting a revised pay offer to teachers that offers no tangible improvement on their previously rejected offers.
Following three months of delay, and the promise of an improved offer to teachers, the offer that was presented today provides no additional money and is, for many teachers, a worse offer than those previously rejected by teacher unions.
A special meeting of the EIS Salaries Committee, held online yesterday afternoon, has unanimously rejected the offer. As a result of this immediate rejection of the offer, strike action scheduled to begin on Thursday will go ahead.
EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “This offer is nothing less than an abject insult to Scotland’s hard-working teaching professionals. Teachers overwhelmingly rejected a 5% offer more than 3 months ago and now, after months of prevarication and weeks of empty promises, COSLA and the Scottish Government come back with an offer than is worth that same 5% to the vast majority of teachers.
“This is not, as the Scottish Government claims, a progressive offer – it is a divisive offer, made on a differentiated basis, which is actually worse for many teachers in promoted posts.”
Ms Bradley added, “Contrary to the claims made by the Cabinet Secretary in Parliament and in Scottish Government spin today, this is not an improved, realistic, progressive or generous offer. Our members will see this offer for exactly what it is – a kick in the teeth from their employers and the Scottish Government.
“This afternoon’s Salaries Committee expressed outrage at this offer, and that outrage is sure to be replicated in staffrooms across Scotland today and tomorrow. Our programme of strike action, which will commence as scheduled on Thursday, will clearly show the strength of feeling of Scotland’s teachers who will be out in numbers and with strong voice on picket lines and at regional rallies.”
Ms Bradley also corrected a false statement made by Cabinet Secretary Shirley Anne Somerville in the Scottish Parliament today, who repeatedly claimed that four offers had been made to teachers prior to today: “We have received, and rejected, three previous offers from COSLA and the Scottish Government before today: for 2%; 3.5% and 5%.
“Today’s offer, which is the fourth, is really no new offer at all, but a reheating of the previously rejected offer. Today’s offer includes no additional money, and is a sign of the contempt with which COSLA and the Scottish Government clearly view Scotland’s teaching professionals.”
Scottish Government: New ‘progressive’ pay offer made to teachers
A new progressive pay offer – the fourth which has been made to unions – recognises the impact of the cost of living crisis on lower-paid teachers, with an increase of up to 6.85%.
For those classroom teachers on the main grade scale, who benefit from pay progression, this offer will mean an increase in one year of over 10%.
Those at the top of the scale will receive a 5% increase, taking their salary to £44,453. A teacher moving from probation into a fully qualified post would gain an annual salary increase of 27%.
A fully qualified teacher in Scotland would receive £35,650 – over £7,500 more than their counterparts in England under the offer. The most experienced classroom teachers would receive £5,600 more than they would if they were teaching in England on the main pay range.
Overall, if accepted, this would represent a cumulative pay increase for the majority of teachers of 21.8% since 2018.
Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “This is a fair offer which recognises that the cost of living crisis is the priority, with higher increases for staff on lower salaries.
“This is now the fourth offer that has been made. In the same time EIS have not changed their request for a 10% pay increase – even for those on the highest incomes.
“I have been clear that we have limited room for manoeuvre. The financial situation for the Scottish Government is challenging and additional money for teacher pay means reduced public services elsewhere.
“In these challenging times it is important we focus our attention on those who are most impacted by the cost of living crisis, as well as ensuring fairness to all public sector workers. I would urge leadership to postpone plans for industrial action and consider this new offer.”
Commenting following the revised offer to the Teaching Trade Unions Councillor Katie Hagmann, COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson said: “Scottish Local Government values its entire workforce, of which teachers are a key part.
“We have this afternoon made a revised fourth offer to our trade union colleagues. It is fair, affordable and recognises that the cost-of-living crisis is the priority, with higher increases for staff on lower pay points. This is in line with the offers made to all other parts of the public sector.
“We have worked extremely hard and closely with Scottish Government to ensure such a revised offer could be brought forward and made today. I would call on our Trade Union colleagues to recognise that these are extremely challenging financial times we are operating in and we all need to make decisions with a full understanding of the consequences.
“Our offer ensures that we don’t place additional pressure on any other parts of our hardworking workforce and the essential services they deliver, and importantly it protects the best interests of children and young people. We hope our Trade Union partners will now postpone Thursday’s strikes.”
