GMB members have accepted "significant" improvement on pay offer

Following the close of a two-week consultative ballot of its 20,000 plus membership across Scottish local government, workers backed the offer achieved through intense negotiations between unions and the First Minister by a majority of 81 per cent.

It will deliver a flat rate increase of over £1,900 for all workers earning less than £39,000 a year (based on a 36-hour working week), backdated to April 1 2022.

This represents a “significant” improvement on three previous across-the-board offers ranging from two percent up to five percent.

Confirmation that the matter had at last been sorted came in last Friday (September 23)

GMB Scotland Senior Organiser Keir Greenaway said: “Our members have accepted the offer negotiated by unions and the First Minister by a clear majority.

" We are now calling on councils to ensure this consolidated increase is put into the pay and conditions of members as soon as possible, because the cost-of-living crisis hasn’t gone away. This must also be a point of reflection rather than relief for political leaders.

"Tens of thousands of low-paid workers were kept waiting months for movement on a decent pay offer in the grip of soaring inflation and eye-watering energy bills. That’s unacceptable and can’t be repeated next year. GMB is clear that after years of cuts to pay and services, this must be the start of the story in the fight for proper value of our key workers, because this period of intense economic pressure is going to last years and not months.

“Most importantly, we want to pay tribute to our members. Strike action is not easy, but through sacrifice and solidarity they have secured a significantly improved pay rise to help confront the winter months of this cost-of-living crisis.”

Meanwhile UNISON Scotland is gearing up to ballot more than 50,000 NHS members in a pay dispute. All NHS employers have now received a strike notification from UNISON- stating that the official ballot will commence on 3 October.

More than 80% voted in favour of striking in UNISON’s recent consultative ballot.