Falkirk Council: Staff could strike as three unions reject pay offer

Consultative ballots for the GMB, Unison, Unite have all shown that their members are prepared to take action, including strike action, to get a better deal.

On Thursday, Unite the Union announced that their members have decisively turned down a pay offer through a consultative ballot, with 84 per cent of members rejecting it.

Kevin Robertson, chair of Falkirk Council’s branch of Unite said: “Unite have urged CoSLA to improve their offer to our members during this cost of living crisis. We believe that the offer made to our members fell short of our expectations and fails some of the lowest paid workers in the country, and this ballot result confirms that our membership agree.”

Last year, the council workers’ pay dispute was not resolved until September, after weeks of targeted action across Scotland. In Falkirk, bins went unemptied and the recycling centres closed for eight days of industrial action as workers made clear they were not prepared to accept two or three per cent.

Mr Robertson said: “Here we go again. It took the personal intervention of the then First Minister to get CoSLA to make a sensible offer last year to end the industrial dispute. The unions hope we do not have to go to extremes of another harmful strike again this year, that helps no-one, but we see little option currently. We hope the council leaders can listen to their staff and give an improved and reasonable offer.”

On Wednesday, 87 per cent of Unison members rejected the pay offer, with 90 per cent of those voting saying they would be in favour of taking action.

UNISON Scotland head of local government, Johanna Baxter said: “It is disappointing that yet again UNISON members are having to consider withdrawing their labour in order to secure a decent pay rise – it’s the last thing they want to do but they continue to face a cost of living crisis and they have understandably had enough of being treated like the poor relations of the public sector.”

GMB members have also voted overwhelmingly to reject the offer, with 94 per cent of the union’s council members turning it down.

GMB Scotland senior organiser for public services, Keir Greenaway said: “Given the continuing cost of living crisis, it is absolutely no surprise workers are unwilling to accept what is effectively a pay cut.”

Falkirk Council workers were among those balloted as all negotiations are done nationally through the councils’ umbrella group, CoSLA, and the Scottish Government.

The pay offer was made in two parts:a five per cent full year increase on all salary levels from April 1 2023; and an additional, grade-dependent increase from January 1, 2024.