The upcoming eight days of strike action by Scottish waste and cleaning workers has been suspended after the latest rounds of talks resulted in an improved pay offer.
However, the new offer may not bring an end to the dispute as UNISON, the largest union in Scotland, has recommended staff reject the offer.
The trade union Unite said the new offer represents a minimum cash increase of £1,292 for the lowest paid council workers, which is equivalent to 5.2% for those earning around £25,000.
The Scottish local government living wage will also increase by 5.63% as part of the improved offer from COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities).
The ballot on the new pay offer, which Unite said represented a “significant improvement”, will open on 15 August and close on 5 September.
The strike action set to begin on Wednesday (14 August) across 18 councils in waste and cleansing services has been suspended ahead of the ballot.
Unite’s lead negotiator for local government Graham McNab said the union considered the offer “credible” and means all council workers would receive an above-inflation pay rise for the “first time in years”.
McNab said: “Unite members across all of Scotland’s councils should be applauded for standing firm. They have remained resolute in an effort to secure a fairer and better pay offer.”
COSLA said it requested that industrial action be suspended while the offer is considered after making the unions aware of council leaders’ concerns that the funding may be at risk if strikes go ahead.
UNISON Scotland local government lead David O’Connor said UNISON’s view is that the improved offer is “still not enough”.
Council staff have seen the value of their pay reduced by 25% over the past 14 years and any pay deal needs to do more to reverse this.
O’Connor said: “Council staff have seen the value of their pay reduced by 25% over the past 14 years and any pay deal needs to do more to reverse this.”
“The union has been clear all along that the wage deal needs to work for everyone in local government. This pause will provide some breathing space for further dialogue.”
If the offer is accepted, a minimum increase of 67 pence an hour or 3.6%, whichever is better, will be applied to council workers.
This amounts to an average 4.24% increase for a one-year period between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, Unite said.
The new offer means the minimum pay increase is more than the offer made to council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the National Joint Council (NJC), which was a “key red line” in the negotiations, Unite said.
COSLA’s Resources Spokespeople Cllr Katie Hagmann commented: “Having worked hard over the last week with Scottish Government to increase and guarantee additional funding, (council) leaders are now in a position to make this improved offer to our trade unions.
“This offer reflects what trade unions have asked for and we hope that they will now be prepared to call off the strikes while they put that offer to their members.”
