Strike action by PKC staff remains on the table as pay row continues

UNISON said COSLA offer falls short of expectations given the 25% real-terms pay cut over the past 14 years.

The possibility of strikes by council staff across Scotland - including Perth and Kinross - have moved a step closer as a dispute over pay rumbles on.

Union UNISON announced on Friday that more than 90,000 council and school staff are to be balloted for strike action over pay.

The union already has a mandate for strike action by PKC schools and early years staff as well as waste, recycling and street cleaning.

It follows the decision by employers’ body Cosla to impose a wage rise already rejected by a majority of the workforce.

The current offer from Cosla includes an hourly increase of 67p (or 3.6 percent), whichever is higher.

However, the union says this falls short of expectations given the 25 percent real-terms pay cut over the past 14 years.

UNISON Scotland local government lead David O’Connor said: “To say this is a bitter disappointment is an understatement.

“Councils are in a state of crisis. They’re grappling with severe recruitment challenges, leaving the workers they have to do more with fewer resources and lower wages.

“Local authority employees and the essential services they provide are under untenable pressure. The only viable solution is to grant these dedicated staff the higher pay rise they rightly deserve.”

“There are already live strike mandates at 19 employers and the union will move quickly to fix dates for those workplaces. UNISON is also finalising a timetable to ballot its entire membership affected by local government pay settlements.

“Council staff are the backbone of society, providing essential services that keep everything running smoothly.

“It’s both upsetting and infuriating to see that they’re once again so undervalued. Politicians have enjoyed pay rises upwards of 6.7 percent, but they’re telling dedicated workers to limit their expectations. This disparity is unacceptable and must be addressed immediately.”

UNISON Scotland local government committee chair Colette Hunter added: “Thousands of council workers have already overwhelmingly rejected Cosla’s pay offer.

“They’re demanding a fair increase to prevent their pay from consistently lagging behind and to ensure their wage rise is in line with other sectors of the economy.

“Staff are outraged that the current offer falls significantly short of their pay claim and is well below the 5.5% awarded to NHS colleagues.”

A PKC spokesperson said this week: “These are national pay talks co-ordinated through COSLA.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and should any members of our staff participate in industrial action we will do all we can to minimise disruption to services faced by our residents and businesses.”

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