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Scottish education staff vote to strike for better pay

By Nithya Bose in UK Employment news, posted August 7, 2023

Staff working in education and early years in 10 Scottish councils have voted for a strike over pay row.

Unite the union confirmed its council members will engage in targeted industrial action once schools reopen after the summer break.

The strike will involve thousands of workers, including janitors, cleaners, caterers, classroom assistants, and administrative staff.

The contentious issue revolves around the pay offer from the Council body Cosla.

Cosla claims to have raised the local government living wage by 99p to £11.84 per hour.

But the five percent offer for 2023 was rejected by 84 percent of Unite members in a ballot in May.

Broader inflation (RPI) currently stands at 10.7 percent.

Unite has urged First Minister Humza Yousaf to intervene directly in the dispute, citing a "collapse" in negotiations.

The union has criticized Cosla and the Scottish government for insufficient financial support.

It warned against repeating the mistakes of last year's pay dispute.

Unite's General Secretary, Sharon Graham said: "The message for both the Scottish government and Cosla is loud and clear.

"Thousands of our members have voted to take strike action in education and early years services because they won't accept a real terms pay cut.

"Our members deserve far more than the 5% being served up by the politicians. We will support our members all the way in their fight for better jobs, pay and conditions in local government."

Offer recognises "vital role"

A Cosla spokesman said the offer compared favorably to other sectors.

He said: “While the offer value in-year is 5.5%, the average uplift on salaries going into the next financial year is 7%.”

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"Those on the Scottish local government living wage would get 9.12% and those at higher grades, where councils are experiencing severe recruitment challenges, would see 6.05%.

"It is an offer which recognises both the vital role of the people who deliver our essential services across councils every day and the value that we, as employers, place on them."

The Scottish government said it provided an additional £155 million to support a "meaningful pay rise for local government workers."

A spokesperson said: "Local government pay negotiations are a matter for local authorities as employers and unions.

"The Scottish government and Cosla have committed to respect this negotiating arrangement as part of the Verity House Agreement."

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