The Joint Trades Unions, representing the vast majority of the local government workforce on the Scottish Joint Council, submitted their pay claim in January.
CoSLA, the employers body, put forward a best and final pay offer on 26th March 2018.
The same pay offer was made to all local government bargaining groups.
At the same time CoSLA wrote to Derek Mackay pressing the principle that there should be parity in the treatment of all four local government bargaining groups and that if he was minded to award additional monies to any one group that they would hope he would provide them with additional funds to make similar awards for the other bargaining groups.
The Joint Trades Unions noted this pay offer and also wrote to Derek Mackay, pressing him for additional funding for local government, parity of treatment across the bargaining groups and a meeting to discuss their concerns.
Derek Mackay’s office responded to the trades unions on 25th April 2018. No meeting was offered the Joint Trades Unions were concerned that this response did not address their concerns.
The Joint Trades Unions responded to him on 1st May 2018. Setting out their further concerns.
On the 2nd May 2018 Derek Mackay’s office offered to meet with the Joint Trades Unions.
UNISON’s Head of Local Government Bargaining, Johanna Baxter, said: “UNISON, representing the largest number of local government workers, together with the other unions, pressed for this meeting to give us the opportunity to talk to Derek Mackay about the impact of his austerity policies on our lowest paid public sector workers.”
“Our members deliver for local communities up and down the land – all day, every day. They are our bin collectors, our road sweepers, our early years workers and our home care assistants. The people who protect our most vulnerable and give us a decent place to live. They deserve a decent standard of living in return.
“If Derek Mackay really recognised the hard work and dedication of all public sector workers, as his recent letter suggests, he should put his money where his mouth is and find the cash COSLA need to give them all a decent pay rise.”
Unite’s Head of Local Government, Willie McGonigle, said: “I will meet with our delegates at this Thursday’s local government conference where members will take a view on offer from employers’ side, however all three trade unions are meeting late afternoon with Finance Minister Derek McKay to have further dialogue on the recent offer, we then seek a meeting with employers side.”
GMB’s Senior Organsier for Public Services, Drew Duffy, said: “Our priority is the defence of our members’ interests and the offer currently on the table is not good enough for the lowest paid workers in local government. We look forward to meeting Derek McKay and posing the tough questions on behalf of our members who don’t think this offer is fair and don’t want to see the pay gap between the lowest paid and highest paid increase further. We expect the Scottish government to work with the trade unions and provide a better settlement for Scottish council workers”.
Notes:
You can read the Pay Claim submitted by the Joint Trades Unions here.
You can read the letter sent to Derek Mackay, on 29th March 2018, behalf of the Joint Trades Unions
You can read the response received from Derek Mackay’s office on 25th April 2018 here.
– The four local government bargaining groups are: Local Government, Teachers, Craft and Chief Officials.
– The Joint Trades Unions, representing Local Government Workers on through the Scottish Joint Council are Unison, Unite and the GMB.
For more information please contact:
UNISON head of local government bargaining: Johanna Baxter, 07817 120 894 or j.baxter@unison.co.uk
Unite, Willie McGonigle, 07810157912 William.McGonigle@unitetheunion.org
GMB, Drew Duffy, 07412598694 drew.duffy@gmb.org.uk