Scotland braced for further strikes amid crisis talks over council pay offer

Posted by GMB Admin

Thursday 25 August 2022

GMB Trade Union - Scotland braced for further strikes amid crisis talks over council pay offer

Aspirational proposals from political leaders won’t suspend these strikes

Thousands more waste and recycling workers are set to start strike action tomorrow, as crisis talks take place this afternoon (Thursday 25 August) between union, government, and council leaders over the Scottish local government pay offer.

GMB members in a further sixteen council areas will take an initial four days of action from 00.01 hours Friday 26 August until 23.59 hours Monday 29 August, coinciding with existing action in the City of Edinburgh Council.

Four more days of strikes in waste and recycling services also run from Wednesday 7 September to Saturday 10 September, alongside three days of strike action on 6, 7, and 8 September involving GMB schools and early years services members in Glasgow City and East Renfrewshire councils.

Representatives of the joint trade unions in local government meet shortly with the Deputy First Minister and COSLA leadership, and will again urge the need for a pay offer to combat the spiralling cost of living crisis.

Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland Senior Organiser for Public Services, said:

“Aspirational proposals from political leaders won’t suspend these strikes and they won’t put a penny more in workers pockets to confront this rapidly deteriorating cost-of living crisis.

“GMB members are clear that they are not prepared to accept working poverty as an inevitability and their strike actions are a direct response to the failure of political leaders to realise this.

“Tomorrow this crisis will reach new depths when disastrous rises are announced for the autumn energy price cap - our members who are among the lowest paid key workers need better value to help them confront this.

“This is the first time that government and COSLA leaders will be in the room together with unions, and it is a chance for them to give a clear commitment that when council leaders next meet, they will finally table an offer that’s worthy of our members consultation.”