Threat of industrial action averted as council workers agree to pay deal

Unite said 77% of members backed the deal while 66% of the GMB union supported it.

PA Media

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Strike action in Scotland’s local authorities has been averted as two more unions announced members have accepted a two-year pay offer.

Unite the union announced on Thursday that 77% of its members backed the deal offered by local authority body Cosla, while GMB said 66% voted in favour.

The deal will see a 4% increase in pay this year and 3.5% next year, with both unions joining Unison, which accepted the proposal earlier this week, in backing it.

With union members backing the proposal, the chance of strike action among non-teaching council staff has been averted this year.

Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, said: “The deal negotiated by Unite will boost pay packets and provide stability for our members.

“Unite is once again delivering better jobs, pay and conditions for our Scottish council members.”

Keir Greenaway, the GMB union’s senior organiser for public services, said the offer “does not do enough” for the lowest paid staff despite the vote to back it.

“We argued and will continue to argue for pay offers to be a flat increase to the hourly rate of every council worker,” he said.

“A percentage increase means the highest-paid council staff will receive thousands of pounds more each year while frontline workers get pennies more each hour.

“This offer does not do enough for them and it does not do enough to reach a minimum wage of £15 an hour which ministers continue to insist is their ambition.”