05 September 2008
Unions representing council workers in Scotland have threatened further strike action after local authority employers refused to increase a 2.5% pay offer.
At talks this week with the three unions involved – Unison, Unite and GMB – the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities said councils had to balance their roles as an employer and as a provider of public services that would be affected by an increased offer.
'It is for this reason that the offer must remain at 2.5%,' said Michael Cook, Cosla's employment spokesman.
Finance Secretary John Swinney warned councils that they should not look to the government for extra cash. He stressed that he operated on a fixed budget given to the Scottish Parliament by the chancellor and the UK government.
Swinney said: 'I have no reserve resources available that I can allocate to any particular circumstance. I encourage both parties to try to resolve the issue within that allocation.'
The latest talks follow a one-day stoppage on August 20, when services were severely disrupted.
The chair of Unison's local government service group, Stephanie Herd, said members were 'extremely angry' at the way their employers were treating them.
She added: 'Further action is now inevitable.'
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