School and early years staff in 10 council areas in Scotland will walk out on 13 and 14 September in a dispute over pay, a union has announced.
Essential staff in schools and early years will strike for two days next month, as the GMB union claimed low-paid Scots education workers were being offered a rise £700 less than in England and Wales.
The action in 10 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities will involve catering staff, janitors, cleaners and support workers.
The action comes after GMB Scotland’s members rejected a 5.5 per cent pay offer from council umbrella body Cosla in April, branding it unacceptable amid surging inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.
The union, which represents more than 21,000 workers in Scottish councils, claimed Cosla refused to revise the offer or ask the Scottish government for support.
Staff will walk out on 13 and 14 September in Aberdeen, Clackmannanshire, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Dundee, East Dunbartonshire, Falkirk, Glasgow, Orkney, Renfrewshire and South Ayrshire.
More industrial action could occur across schools and early years in September, as other trade unions are at differing stages with potential strikes.
GMB Scotland said the Cosla offer would mean a rise for the lowest-paid workers in Scotland’s councils that is £700 less this year than that offered to colleagues in England and Wales.
School staff to strike over pay
Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser for public services, said a meeting on Friday 25 August would be the final opportunity for Cosla to avert strikes.
Mr Greenaway said: “The latest figures show that, despite rising wages, pay is still being outstripped by inflation.
“The pay offer to council workers does not come close to matching the surging cost of living and...is worth less with every month that passes. Scotland stands on the shoulders of our local authority workers, and the value of their work must be reflected in their salaries.
“Cosla has refused to seriously engage with our members during what has been a protracted, frustrating process. If they had, parents and pupils would not now be facing disruption.”
He added: “Cosla and Scottish ministers need to engage now or risk turning a crisis into a calamity.”
A Cosla spokesperson said: “The reality of the situation is that as employers, council leaders have made a strong offer to the workforce...which clearly illustrates the value councils place on their workforce, and it compares well to other sectors.
“It recognises the cost-of-living pressures on our workforce and, critically, it seeks to protect jobs and services.
“While the offer value in-year is 5.5 per cent, the average uplift on salaries going into the next financial year is 7 per cent.
“Those on the Scottish local government living wage would get 9.12 per cent and those at higher grades, where councils are experiencing severe recruitment challenges, would see 6.05 per cent.”
The Cosla spokesperson added that the offer “also raises the Scottish local government living wage by 99p to £11.84 per hour and sets out a commitment to work with our trade unions to develop a road map to £15 per hour in a way that protects our workforce and services we deliver”.
