Unison Scotland prepares industrial ballot after talks break down
Strikers outside Glasgow Council’s city chambers in George Square (PA)
A trade union representing 80,000 council workers in Scotland is preparing an industrial action ballot of its members over an “inadequate” pay offer.
Unison said the move comes after a breakdown in talks with local government employers’ association the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) on Tuesday.
Last month in an indicative ballot, Unison’s members overwhelmingly rejected the offer on the table, voting by 88% to reject it.
Some 74% backed taking some form of industrial action up to and including strikes.
ANAS SARWAR has called on the SNP to act to avoid a “summer of discontent” after council workers voted to reject a pay offer.
Unison members voted overwhelmingly against the 2 per cent offer, with 88 per cent against the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) deal and 74 per cent backing industrial action up to and including strikes.
The Scottish Labour leader said the offer failed to recognise the rising cost of living.
Mr Sarwar said: “The SNP’s chronic underfunding of local government has put our vital services at risk and stalls our communities’ recovery.
“The SNP cuts to council budgets have been more brutal than even the Tories at Westminster.
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Miners in Chiatura, Georgia strike to demand pay increase and improved conditions
Over 3,000 workers in the Georgian mining town of Chiatura joined an indefinite walkout on April 23 to demand Georgian Manganese grant a 50 percent pay rise, health insurance and environmental protections for the area near the mine.
According to the
Governance Monitoring Center, drivers working for the company in Chiatura wrote to the Minister of Health listing their demands hiring a lawyer to represent them rather than acting through the union and walked out on April 19. They were joined on April 23 by miners and other workers at Georgian Manganese.
Council workers back strike action in pay row - Evening Telegraph eveningtelegraph.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eveningtelegraph.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Updated: April 29, 2021, 3:48 pm
Unison’s Mark Ferguson said it is unacceptable for workers ‘to be used as a political football’ (Nick Ansell/PA)
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Council workers have voted in favour of strike action over what one union described as an “inadequate pay offer” from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla).
Members of Unison, the largest trade union in local government representing 80,000 workers, voted by 88% to reject the offer, while 74% backed taking some form of industrial action up to and including strikes.