Scotland local government workers willing to take industrial action over pay says UNISON

6th May 2022

An indicative ballot of local government employees in Scotland has revealed they are prepared to take industrial action over pay says UNISON today (Thursday).

In a letter to COSLA sent this week, UNISON and two other unions highlight that the employer has failed to come up with an acceptable pay offer for local government workers whose pay has been held down for too many years.

Unions ‘hoped that COSLA leaders would have recognised the strength of feeling expressed by the workers' but instead learnt that pay ‘wasn't even initially an agenda item’ at their last meeting.

The letter adds that unions negotiators will remain available for further talks to ensure the dispute can be resolved promptly.

In the meantime, and in the absence of a decent pay offer, UNISON has confirmed that the union will be moving to a formal industrial action ballot.

UNISON Scotland head of local government Johanna Baxter said: "It’s obvious that COSLA hasn’t been considering pay as a key issue for council staff. This is poor judgement on their behalf and shows a disappointing lack of engagement.

"For too many years, pay in local government has been held down and the cost-of-living crisis is pushing many hard-working people into poverty. This will not go unnoticed at the local elections.

“Industrial action is always a last resort but workers are desperate to be heard. Whoever wins the election will have to stand up for workers and come to the negotiating table so workers don’t have to resort to taking action."