Winter of Discontent Approaching As Glasgow Council Workers Vote for Strikes

22nd November 2021

GMB says overwhelming support for new Glasgow strikes reflection of workers' anger.

Thousands of Glasgow City Council workers will be balloted for a new wave of industrial actions after overwhelmingly supporting strikes against low pay and pay discrimination.

99 per cent of GMB members across home care, Glasgow Life, education, and social work are prepared to take strike action against the council’s attempts to exclude over a fifth of posts included in the 2019 equal pay settlement from future liabilities.

Meanwhile, three-quarters of members in the city’s cleansing services said the fourteen points recently negotiated with the Council Leader for the future of the service and lowest-paid do not go far enough, with four-fifths saying they would be willing to strike again in response.

A statutory industrial action ballot of cleansing workers will now take place in December, while workers in services impacted by the council’s ongoing pay discrimination will commence a ballot in January.

GMB Scotland Organiser Sean Baillie said: "The lowest-paid workers in Glasgow City Council have been undervalued, exploited and ignored, and their anger is reflected in these overwhelming ballot results.

“It sends a clear message to the council and government that there must be change in Glasgow. Scotland’s biggest city has deep and chronic problems, it is blighted by low-pay and discrimination, and its budget has been hammered by years of cuts. That’s not talking Glasgow down, it’s simply stating facts.

“No political party has clean hands in this Glasgow story and politicians at all levels of representation should listen to the voices of these workers because it will need a response from them all.

“But our members aren’t going to stand on ceremony, they understand it’s only through their industrial strength that they can hope to make work better and ultimately make Glasgow better."