Unite announces strike actions across 18 Scottish Councils

Unite has announced that its local government membership involved in waste and cleansing services in Scotland will take strike action for eight days across 18 Councils if no credible pay offer is tabled before Wednesday 14 August.

The action will involve waste workers, street cleaners, and recycling centre operators.

If no deal is reached before then, strike action is set to begin at 5am on Wednesday 14 August and end at 4:59am on Thursday 22 August.

The 18 councils affected are 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 and West Lothian Council.

Unite said positive talks were held on Tuesday with Shona Robison MSP, cabinet secretary for finance and local government, unions and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).

However, the Union said that a new ‘credible offer’ must be tabled ‘imminently’ and scheduled strike action will not be suspended until that happens.

The current COSLA pay offer amounts to a 3.2 per cent increase for a one-year period between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, which Unite says 'grossly undervalues' Scottish council workers in contrast with the offer made to UK counterparts.

Council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been offered £1,290 by the National Joint Council (NJC), which Unite says equates to a rise of 67 pence per hour or 5.2 per cent for a council worker earning around £25,000 based on a 37-hour week.

Unite added that the COSLA offer of 3.2 per cent 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.

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.”

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.”