Tag: trade unions

UNISON calls for above-inflation pay increase for local government workers

LOCAL GOVERNMENT PAY CAMPAIGN 2024/25

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.

You can read the claim in full here.

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.”

24.03.20-SJC-Joint-Letter-to-Scottish-Government-Funding-for-Pay-Negotiations-2024-25Download

Holyrood agrees general principles of National Care Service Bill

Bill ‘not fit for purpose’ say unions

Legislation which will see the introduction of a National Care Service for Scotland (NCS) has passed Stage 1 in Parliament.

MSPs have voted for the general principles of the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill which will ensure greater transparency in the delivery of community health and social care, improve standards, strengthen the role of the workforce and provide better support for unpaid carers.

The proposals include establishing a National Care Service Charter, rights to breaks for carers and provisions to enact Anne’s Law so people in care homes have the right to be visited by their families.

Social Care Minister Maree Todd said: “We need long-term, widespread transformation to fix some of the ingrained issues within the system and ensure sustainability for the future. 

“We have spent considerable time working with people with lived experience on how to reform social care for the better. I’m grateful to the thousands of people who have lent their voices and I am determined to ensure the Bill delivers the positive change needed.

“Today’s vote shows that the Scottish Parliament also recognises this and I am grateful to them for bringing us one step closer to this urgent reform.

“This Bill is the biggest public sector reform since devolution and it is our chance to make meaningful change that we all agree is needed to the social care system. I know the people of Scotland will see huge benefits.”

Scotland’s largest trade union bodies have condemned the Scottish Government’s proposed National Care Service Bill as ‘not fit for purpose’ as MSPs approve the legislation at Stage 1.

The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) alongside the three biggest social care unions in Scotland – UNISON, GMB SCOTLAND and UNITE – have written to the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care Neil Gray outlining their shared concerns on the Bill.

The letter states that social care workers’ concerns have been ‘widely ignored’ by the Scottish Government and that, at this stage of proceedings, the Bill as drafted remains ‘firmly unacceptable’.

Last week the Scottish Parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee’s report into Stage 1 drew criticism from trade unions who outlined the ‘glaring deficiencies’ of the proposals on costs and operation of the service.

Commenting, STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “It beggars belief that, despite repeated warnings to the Scottish Government, Scotland’s social care workers are still in the dark on the basic fundamentals of the new National Care Service.

“Our social care sector already suffers from insecure conditions and low pay. We cannot risk those weaknesses being carried over into any new system of nationalised care.

“We must see the Scottish Government take seriously the recommendations of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee’s report into the Bill. This would include improving pay, terms and conditions for social care staff, including a £15 per hour minimum wage. We also need to see Scottish Government guarantees on Fair Work and sectoral bargaining in addition to full sick pay from day one of employment.

“Our social care staff are the lifeblood of our system. We value their work and it’s high time the Scottish Government does likewise.”

COSLA: “SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS” ON NATIONAL CARE SERVICE PLANS

Speaking ahead of the Stage 1 debate for the National Care Service Bill in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 29th February, Councillor Paul Kelly, COSLA’s Health & Social Care Spokesperson, commented: “Councils have expressed significant concerns regarding current National Care Service plans and believe there is still work to do to ensure proposals can meet aspirations.

“In particular, Council Leaders are disappointed in the decision of the Scottish Government to continue to push through legislation where a power will be given to Ministers to delegate children and justice services, despite the potential disruption to services and extensive negotiations and concessions from Local Government.

“Council Leaders remain concerned that such a move risks excessive centralisation of decision-making away from local people and areas. Leaders did agree that COSLA should continue to work closely with Scottish Government to address these concerns.

“COSLA welcomes the progress which has been made in reforming some National Care Service proposals, including that local authorities will continue to play a central role in the delivery of, and accountability for care.

“There is a pressing need to improve people’s experiences of accessing and delivering care in Scotland. Although legislative and governance reform may be part of that, the reality is that national funding decisions – including the proposed council tax freeze which has not been fully funded – will further squeeze local care and social work services which are already under incredible pressure.

“Investment in social care must be seen as a priority which can enhance the wellbeing of people, of society and of Scotland.”

Having passed Stage One, the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill moves into Stage 2 where amendments will be considered by the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee before Stage 3, when the full Parliament makes a final vote on whether to pass the Bill.

Scottish Labour Conference 2024: Usdaw seeks an end to child and in-work poverty

Retail trade union Usdaw has a delegation of members, reps and officials attending the annual Scottish Labour Conference in Glasgow, Friday 16 to Sunday 18 February. The union is part of a composite on child poverty.

Tracy Gilbert, Usdaw Regional Secretary for Scotland says: “One in four children in Scotland are living in poverty, which is inextricably linked to in-work poverty. It is appalling that Scotland’s Children’s Commissioner has deemed the SNP Government to have ‘absolutely failed’ to deliver for young people.

“While we welcome the Scottish Child Payment, the rising cost of living means the payment is falling in value and more direct support is needed to meet child poverty targets. The lack of appropriate childcare, and the childcare costs families continue to face, lock children in poverty despite improvements in funded childcare in recent years.

“Research shows that families with children make up around half of the families experiencing in-work poverty across Scotland. So, tackling the issue of in-work poverty is critical to ensuring that every child has the best possible start in life and the opportunity to thrive.”

The composite motion to conference calls on Scottish Labour to:

·         Prioritise the eradication of child poverty.

·         Urgently work with trade unions and the Child Poverty Commission to bring forward a comprehensive plan to eradicate child poverty.

·         Increase cash payments to families through mechanisms such as raising the minimum wage.

·         Provide safe and affordable housing.

·         Address the lack of appropriate, affordable and accessible childcare that families face to help break the cycle of child poverty.

·         Introduce meaningful support to address the most urgent priorities facing working people as a result of the cost of living crisis.

Defending the right to strike: Lessons from GCHQ

Forty years ago – on 25th Jan 1984 – Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government attacked trade union rights at GCHQ (writes TUC General Secretary PAUL NOWAK).

Trade union members were told to resign their membership or be sacked.  

But after a long and heroic campaign marked by the fortitude of the workers and their families, and the solidarity of the whole movement, they were reinstated when an incoming Labour government repealed the ban.  

The spirit and fight shown at GCHQ in Cheltenham has never been more badly needed. 

Today, the Tories are once again hellbent on attacking the right to strike – a fundamental British liberty. 

Their draconian Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill is even more extreme than Thatcher’s attack in 1984. 

This time over five million workers face losing their right to strike – including PCS members in border security. 

It would place onerous restrictions on public sector and rail unions and make taking effective industrial action far harder. 

Last month the TUC called its first Special Congress in 40 years to discuss how we resist these spiteful new laws. 

The message from the trade union movement was unanimous, resounding and clear – we will defend the right to strike at all costs. And we will not rest until this pernicious legislation is repealed from the statute books. 

Because let’s be clear: if the Tories get their way this is just the start. We should expect further attacks on the rights of workers and trade unions in other sectors not yet affected.   

The government wants to use this heinous new bill as a Trojan horse for other anti-union measures, including an attempted clamp-down on picketing. 

It is an ideological assault on workers’ and trade unions’ rights and a brazen attempt to silence workers’ voices and reduce their power. 

The imposition of minimum service levels means that when workers lawfully vote to take strike action, they could be told to attend work – and sacked if they don’t comply. 

Our public services are crying out for investment to address the recruitment and retention crisis they face. But, instead, the Conservatives are seeking to poison industrial relations, with the result that services deteriorate even more.  

It is all driven by an unelected and out-of-touch prime minister who has lost the confidence of the British people. We won’t let this happen.  

We will use every lever at our disposable to defeat these unworkable – and almost certainly illegal – new laws. We will name and shame any employer or public body that uses this legislation. We will challenge every work notice issued by employers. 
 
And the full force of the whole union movement will stand behind any worker disciplined or sacked for exercising their right to strike.    

Please join me – and trade union members from across the country – on Saturday the 27th of January 2024 as we march and rally in Cheltenham to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the GCHQ trade union ban. 

Let’s channel the spirit of those brave GCHQ workers and show our collective defiance against the Tories’ attack on the right to strike.

TUC warns of ‘Debt Timebomb’

Next year will see 11% real-terms rise in unsecured debt with household debt hitting record levels in 2026

  • Britain “cannot afford the Tories” – TUC General Secretary to warn in New Year Message 
  • Paul Nowak calls for early general election to “end years of national decline”  

The TUC has warned that families are facing a “debt timebomb”. The warning comes as new analysis from the union body reveals that unsecured debt (loans credit cards, purchase hire agreements) is set to increase by £1,400 in real terms next year, on average, per household. 

The analysis of official statistics shows that in 2024 household unsecured debt is forecast to rise by 11%.  

And over the course of the next parliament unsecured debt is set to rocket by £6,000 (+43%), on average, per family. 

The union body warned that unsecured debt per UK household is on course to reach a record level of £17,200 by 2026 – exceeding the previous high of £16,800 set in 2007. 

By 2028 unsecured debt per household is set to top £19,000. 

Unsecured debt includes credit cards, loans and purchase hire agreements, and excludes mortgages. The TUC excluded student loans from the analysis. 

Families left exposed  

The TUC says working people have been left brutally exposed to rising costs after years of pay stagnation. 

UK workers are on course for two decades of lost living standards with real wages not forecast to recover to their 2008 level until 2028. 

The TUC estimates that the average worker would now be £14,800 better off if their pay had kept up with pre-crisis real wage growth trends since 2008. 

The union body says the sharp spike in debt, along with stagnant living standards, will “more than wipe out” any gains from the Chancellor’s cut to national insurance tax and leave many families “under the cosh”. 

The Office for Budget Responsibility says the period between 2021 and 2024 will be the worst for living standards (real household disposable income per person) since records began in 1955. 

New Year’s Message 

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak warns that Britain “cannot afford the Tories” in his annual New Year Message. Calling for an early general election, he said: “Every month the Tories stay in office the more families will be pushed into debt. 

“This party of out-of-touch millionaires is more focussed on clinging to power than on growing our economy and getting living standards rising again. If something doesn’t change, real wages won’t recover to their 2008 levels until 2028. 

“These 13 years of economic stagnation have left working people brutally exposed to the cost of living crisis. We cannot afford a Tory government for one day longer.” 

Highlighting the choice on offer at the next election, Nowak said: “After years of national decline, Labour’s New Deal for Working People would be a gamechanger. It would be the biggest expansion of workplace rights in a generation.  

“No more zero-hours contracts and no more fire and rehire. Employment rights from day one. Union rights to access the workplace. New fair pay agreements. Repealing the attacks on the right to strike. 

“And more than that, the prospect of a new era of a grown-up, constructive approach to industrial relations, where disputes are solved through negotiation. 

“And a clear commitment to put unions and employers at the heart of a modern-day industrial strategy.” 

Highlighting the TUC’s ongoing campaign against the government’s new anti-strike laws, Paul Nowak said: “Nobody withdraws their labour lightly. It is the last resort when employers refuse to talk and refuse to compromise. 

“The action taken by union members [in 2023] forced bosses across the country back to the negotiating table and secured better deals. Unions will do everything in our power to defend that right to strike. It is a cornerstone of our democracy. 

“We won’t be intimidated by this government, and we won’t be bullied. The Tories’ Strikes Act is toxic, unworkable, undemocratic and likely illegal. And it’s a brazen attempt to try stop working people winning better pay and conditions. 

“The entire trade union movement will rally behind any worker who is sacked for exercising their right to strike.” 

STUC Disabled Workers’ Conference: Usdaw seeks to tackle gender-based violence and poverty

Retail trade union Usdaw has a delegation of reps and officials attending the annual Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) Disabled Workers’ Conference in Glasgow, Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 December.

The union has submitted motions on tackling gender-based violence against disabled workers, along with building a movement of protest against poverty.

Tracy Gilbert – Usdaw Regional Secretary for Scotland says: “The number of disabled people living in poverty in Scotland has increased in recent years with more than half of all people in poverty living in a household with at least one disabled worker.

“We reject any suggestion that this is inevitable, poverty and the failure to tackle inequality are political decisions. The disability employment gap in Scotland remains high with disabled women facing even greater discrimination, larger pay gaps and higher unemployment.

“As well as taking action to offset the immediate impacts of the cost-of-living crisis on disabled people and their families; the Scottish and Westminster governments must also act to address the underlying historical inequalities experienced by disabled people including the disproportionate impact of austerity policies.”

Usdaw welcomes the important role the Disabled Workers Committee play setting the record straight and is asking the STUC to:

  • Support the efforts of unions and disabled people’s organisations to tackle disability discrimination and change the way disabled people are viewed, valued and included in Scottish and wider UK society.
  • Campaign for improvements to social security so that as well as protecting disabled workers from poverty, it also prevents poverty; takes into account the significant and additional costs of being disabled; and fully supports independent living.
  • Continue to build a movement of protest against the current cost of living crisis that highlights the specific impact of the current crisis on disabled people and puts their voices centre stage.

Tracy Gilbert continues: “Studies show that disabled women are disproportionately likely to experience gender-based violence but are far less likely to report it.

“Workplace trade union reps have a vital role in supporting women workers to recognise and recover from abuse and this is particularly the case for disabled women who are often less able to access appropriate support and to have their voices heard.

“Changes to domestic violence legislation to include coercive control are important in understanding how specific abuse against disabled women may manifest itself in a variety of ways, for example where the abuser controls someone through their impairment or support needs.

“We commend the work union reps are doing to support disabled survivors of domestic abuse.”

Usdaw is seeking greater recognition by employers of the challenges disabled women face in escaping abuse and is calling on the STUC to:

  • Support affiliated unions to negotiate domestic abuse policies with employers that recognise the specific needs of disabled women workers.   
  • Involve disabled women in developing the trade union and labour movement’s work on gender-based violence.

Why global solidarity and action matter for decent work in the care economy

Care matters to us all. We all want good quality cradle to grave care for ourselves and our loved ones (writes TUC’s ABIGAIL HUNT). This is only possible if the workers delivering care services have good pay and conditions.

The global care workforce is huge, totalling at least 381 million workers, two-thirds of whom are women. Worldwide this is 11.5 per cent of total employment and 19.3 per cent of female employment. 

In the UK, adult social care jobs alone contribute at least £55.7 billion to the economy and constitute around 6 per cent of total UK employment. 

Yet care work is persistently insecure and exploitative. Low and insecure pay, bad employment conditions, violence and harassment, and a limited training and career development are part and parcel of everyday life for care workers.  

Recent TUC analysis shows that care workers across the UK are earning below the real living wage and are significantly underpaid relative to pay across the rest of the economy. The median salary of social care workers and childcare practitioners is less than two-thirds of that of all employees nationally.  

On 29th October, trade unions, governments, the UN and other social partners will mark the International Day for Care.

This day, initiated by trade unions and recognised in July through a UN General Assembly Resolution, gives visibility to the care economy – and care workers – worldwide and provides an opportunity to build momentum for increased public investment and decent work in the care sector.  

Here are three ways that global solidarity and action matter for decent work in the care economy: 

  1. The care workforce is global 

In recent years ‘global care chains’ have emerged as rising demand for care services has seen migrant workers, largely female, fill care jobs – including childcare, social care and domestic workers as well as nurses, doctors and educators – in turn leaving their own children and relatives in the care of paid workers and family in their home country.  

The UK is a key link in the chain, with labour migration increasingly recognised as critical to deliver care services. In 2022 the UK Government expanded the care worker visa scheme to help tackle the ongoing recruitment and retention crisis in social care. This meant that in 2022/23 70,000 international care workers were recruited, up 50,000 from the previous year.  

But the TUC has identified that as international recruitment has increased, so has the exploitation and abuse of migrant workers.

This includes wage theft, high recruitment fees with non-permitted repayment clauses and debt bondage as well as abuse of the immigration system by employers to blackmail workers and prevent them seeking other employment. 

Therefore the fight for decent care jobs must include the experiences, priorities and needs of international care workers.  

  1. The global union movement provides solidarity and support 

Global union solidarity and joint action is critical to build care worker movements and support workers.  

Sharing insights into working conditions helps unions provide vital workforce support. Trade unions in destination countries have provided information on immigration, employment rights and common labour abuses with migrant care workers via unions in countries of origin. This toolkit produced by unions in Italy is a great example.  

Global links also help unions make the most of political opportunities. Following the UK Labour party’s commitment to a Fair Pay Agreement in social care, the TUC has been learning from sister unions about their experiences with a similar system for sectoral collective bargaining in New Zealand.  

And global bodies like the International Trades Union Confederation and Public Services International help build care worker power. From inspiring and informing unions by documenting workers’ wins in the care economy to convening affiliates to influence global policy, international federations play a key role in the achievement of decent care work.  

  1. Global labour law and policy raise the bar on domestic standards for decent care work  

Global and regional labour standards and policy have tackled historic discrimination and exploitation against care workers by setting transnational employment rights floors – and binding governments to act.  

Recent examples include the groundbreaking 2011 Domestic Workers Convention (C. 189) at the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the UN agency that sets global labour standards, secured following a long campaign led by the International Domestic Workers’ Federation.

Many unions have now turned their attention to getting their government to ratify C.189, including in the UK. From Belgium to Mexico, where it is in force, C.189 has helped extend rights such as paid leave, minimum wages and employment contracts to domestic workers.  

In 2015 governments worldwide agreed the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including gender equality (Goal 5) and decent work (Goal 8). This has increased resources and political will, putting care on the policy agenda for the first time ever in many countries. 

Important regional initiatives have also emerged. Earlier this year European social partners agreed a social dialogue committee for social services, including adult social care and childcare, covering around 9 million workers across the EU. 

Next year will bring important opportunities to reinforce the global framework for care workers’ rights.  

In May 2024 governments, trade unions and employers will discuss decent work in the care economy at the International Labour Conference, where unions will seek commitment to a new ILO standard for care jobs. 

And we hope to see the UN General Assembly build on this year’s Resolution with a more substantive agreement committing governments to building and financing comprehensive care systems – with decent work and collective bargaining at their heart.  

Follow the International Day for Care: #InvestInCare #Care2023 

Read more about TUC’s priorities for the care workforce at these links:  

Improved offer to schools workforce

COSLA tables increased offer with school strikes looming

Local government umbrella body COSLA has tabled an improved offer to unions in an attempt to avert school strikes.

Commenting on a revised offer which was sent to the Trade Unions yesterday (Wednesday) COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson Councillor Katie Hagmann said:  “The reality of the situation is that as employers, Council Leaders have now made a strong offer even stronger.

“Council Leaders have listened to the workforce and then acted on what they heard by adding additional Council funds to get us to the position today where a revised offer can be made.

“We have also secured additional baseline funding from Scottish Government of £94 million, which will be built into the Scottish Government’s funding for Councils from next year, that ensures the viability and sustainability of this offer.

“This is an extremely strong offer which not only compares well to other sectors, but recognises the cost-of-living pressures on our workforce and which would mean the lowest paid would see a 21% increase in their pay over a two-year period.

“Councils value their workforce and this offer will support those workers during a cost of living crisis, whilst also protecting vital jobs and services. We hope that our Trade Union colleagues will give their membership the chance to consider this strong offer.”

Commenting on Cosla’s revised pay offer which was sent to unions last night, UNISON Scotland’s head of local government, Johanna Baxter said: ““UNISON Scotland’s local government committee will hold an emergency meeting first thing tomorrow (today, Thursday) and will go through the detail of Cosla’s revised offer and consider our position. UNISON will do everything we can to find a solution – we do not want to see mass school closures.

“However, we need to be convinced that this is a substantially improved offer. UNISON members in schools have voted in unprecedented numbers to take action and we have a mandate to call over 21,000 school staff out on strike over this – our members have clearly had enough. COSLA and the Scottish government need to make sure these workers are properly rewarded for their commitment and hard work.”

More than three quarters of Scotland’s schools face closure later this month in a dispute over pay, as UNISON announces strike dates. If it goes ahead the action will affect primary and secondary schools in 24 local authorities, with 76% of Scotland’s schools affected (1,868 schools).

UNISON, Scotland’s largest local government union, says more than 21,000 members will take part in the action over three days from Tuesday, 26 to Thursday, 28 September.

UNISON Scotland’s head of local government, Johanna Baxter said last week: “Going on strike is always a last resort – our members want to be in schools supporting children not on picket lines outside them.

“But they have been left with no option.  Local government workers overwhelmingly rejected COSLA’s below-inflation pay offer back in March and despite our repeated representations no improvement has been forthcoming.

“A real-terms pay cut in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis is a cut our members simply cannot afford.  This is not a highly-paid workforce – three quarters of local government workers earn less than the average Scottish wage.

“All they want is to be paid fairly for the vital work they do supporting Scotland’s communities – COSLA and the Scottish Government need to get back round the table and work with us to deliver that.”

Chair of UNISON Scotland’s local government committee, Mark Ferguson said last week: “Our members are steadfast in their resolve to fight for fair pay.  COSLA’s offer falls short of UNISON’s pay claim, it is also less than the offer made to the lowest paid local government staff south of the border.  

“No-one wants to see schools close but COSLA need to come back with a significantly improved pay offer very soon if strike action is to be avoided.  We remain committed to engaging in negotiations with COSLA and the Scottish Government at any point to try to resolve this dispute.”

COSLA has now came back with that new offer – but will this ‘even stronger’ offer be enough to avert looming industrial action?

BREAKING NEWS:

2pm: UNISON HAS REJECTED LATEST PAY OFFER – STRIKES GO AHEAD

EIS-FELA: Time running out to avert escalation of college lecturers dispute

The EIS has called on the Scottish Government and College Employers Scotland to take definitive action to ensure that college lecturers receive a fair and fully funded pay award.

College Employers Scotland have made clear to negotiators from the EIS-Further Education Lecturers Association (EIS-FELA) that their current offer would be funded through significant job losses across the publicly funded further education sector.

EIS-FELA members have been engaged in industrial action short of strike (ASOS), in the form of a resulting boycott and work to contract, since May 2023 and should have received their pay award one year ago.

Without an acceptable and fully funded offer, the EIS-FELA membership will escalate their industrial action campaign to include national and rolling strike action, alongside targeted strike action in the constituencies of key Scottish Government ministers, including the First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education.

As politicians from the Scottish Government and all other parties at Holyrood return from the summer recess, EIS-FELA intends to take the campaign for a fully funded and fair pay award directly to parliament, with a rally planned outside the Scottish Parliament to coincide with the first FMQs of the new session.

College Employers Scotland have also this week refused a request made by the EIS to extend the current industrial action mandate. In the absence of such agreement from College Employers Scotland, the EIS has continued with the implementation of a national re-ballot for both action short of strike and strike action that has opened today (Thursday 31st August 2023).

Commenting, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley, said, “Time is running out, on both the Scottish Government and College Employers Scotland, to avert the escalation of the crisis in Scotland’s colleges. No group of workers, least of all those in public sector institutions, should be told by their employers that they must sacrifice jobs to finance an already unacceptable pay offer.

“College Employers Scotland have yet to offer evidence that they have made clear to the Scottish Government that any acceptable pay award must be fully funded.

“The Scottish Government too must end its intransigence and avert this crisis by ensuring that no pay offer to hard working college lecturers is financed by job losses. EIS-FELA members are prepared to take substantial strike action, on top of action short of strike, in pursuit of a fully funded and fair pay award. They do so with the full backing of the EIS behind them.”

EIS-FELA President, Anne-Marie Harley, said, “College lecturers should have received a fair pay award a year ago and have been forced into the unacceptable situation of escalating their industrial action to a wide-ranging programme of strike action, including targeted strike action in the constituencies of Scottish Government ministers.

“We do so alongside a re-ballot of our members to ensure that we can continue this fight for fair pay for as long as it takes. EIS-FELA will never trade jobs for pay and both College Employers Scotland and the Scottish Government must act swiftly to avert strike action through providing a fully funded a fair pay award for college lecturers that does not result in job losses.”

A full programme of strike action is provided below:

  • Thursday 7th September: National strike Day.

Rolling Action Week One:

  • Monday 11th September: New College Lanarkshire and Orkney College.
  • Tuesday 12th September: Glasgow Clyde College and Sabhal Mor Ostaig.
  • Wednesday 13th September: Forth Valley College and UHI Moray.
  • Thursday 14th September: Glasgow Kelvin College and NESCoL.
  • Friday 15th September: Fife College and UHI North, West and Hebrides.

Rolling Action Week Two:

  • Monday 18th September: West College Scotland and Newbattle Abbey College.
  • Tuesday 19th September: UHI Argyle and Ayrshire College.
  • Wednesday 20th September: South Lanarkshire College and Shetland College.
  • Thursday 21st September: Dumfries & Galloway College and Dundee & Angus College.
  • Friday 22nd September: UHI Perth and Edinburgh College.

Rolling Action Week Three:

  • Monday 25th September: UHI Inverness and West Lothian College.
  • Tuesday 26th September: City of Glasgow College and Borders College.
  • Targeted Action: 2nd, 3rd and 4th October:
  • Glasgow Clyde College: First Minister’s constituency.
  • Fife College: Cabinet Secretary for Education’s constituency.
  • Dundee & Angus College: Deputy First Minister’s and Minister for FE’s constituency.

Choudhury supports Fire Brigade Union’s #CutsLeaveScars campaign

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) have announced a programme of £11 million worth of cuts for 2023-24, which could lead to catastrophic removals of equipment and firefighter positions at fire stations.  

Crewe Toll Fire Station in Edinburgh is due to be affected, with the potential loss of the station’s Turntable Ladder, the piece of equipment which allows rescues from height. 

If the equipment is removed from the station, and if no other height appliance was available to attend, there would be no external rescue possible from above the fourth floor in a building.  

Foysol Choudhury MSP this week visited Crewe Toll Fire Station to discuss the impact that these cuts would have on the firefighters and their ability to do their job safely. 

Following the visit, Mr Choudhury said: “Firefighters risk their lives doing their jobs to save us, and our buildings, from fire.   

“They depend on vital equipment to help them do this safely and so I am incredibly concerned that this equipment could be removed, meaning that rescues from height will not be possible. 

“With over 50 buildings above four floors in the surrounding area, this proposal makes no sense.  

“If there is a fire in a block of flats in the area surrounding Crewe Toll, what will happen?  

“These cuts should not be made, knowing the dangers that fires can cause and the tragedies they lead to.  

“You can sign the petition to help Crewe Toll Fire Station retain their height appliance here: https://chng.it/CJncjdvty7” 

The Labour list MSP is supporting FBU Scotland’s #CutsLeaveScars campaign, which is calling for a reverse to the decision to cut £11million from services.

Mr Choudhury is also calling on the Scottish Government to urgently review their funding arrangements with the SFRS, so that these cuts are not forced and so that both firefighters and the public can be kept safe by a fully resourced fire and rescue service.