H
undreds of faculties will go on strike in Scotland after their union rejected a pay provide.
Unison has a mandate to strike throughout 24 council areas on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Only eight areas in Scotland will be capable of proceed as regular, and lots of council areas together with South Lanarkshire, Fife , Inverclyde, Orkney and the Western Isles, will shut faculties.
The dispute is over a revised pay provide from umbrella physique the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) for a pay enhance for janitors, cleaners, and assist employees, who’re a few of the lowest paid council staff.
GMB Scotland and Unite have suspended strikes whereas they think about it.
A brand new provide represents a minimal wage enhance of £2,006 for these on the Scottish Government’s residing wage and a minimal enhance of £1,929 for employees who’re incomes above the residing wage.
The residing wage of £10.85 will rise to £11.89 underneath the brand new provide, equal to a 9.6% enhance – however Unison has stated the revised pay provide stays a “real terms pay cut” and “below the rate of inflation”.
But Unison rejected the provide as “an increase of only 0.5% in-year” for almost all of workers.
Some areas have provide you with compromises to permit training to proceed regardless of strikes.
Highland Council stated 27 of its faculties are anticipated to stay open whereas Glasgow City Council stated excessive faculties will probably be open for S4-S6 pupils solely, on Tuesday, with a reassessment deliberate that day on whether or not any extra faculties and nurseries can open for the next two days.
First Minister Humza Yousaf urged for strikes to be reconsidered and stated he believed it “is a very good offer indeed”.
Chair of Unison Scotland’s native authorities committee, Mark Ferguson, stated: “The offer is still below the rate of inflation meaning that local government workers are being asked to take a real-terms pay cut during a cost-of-living crisis.”
Cosla stated the “pay package not only compares well to other sectors but recognises the cost-of-living pressures on our workforce and which would mean the lowest paid would see an in-year uplift of over £2,000, or just under 10%”.
A spokesperson for Cosla stated: “This is a very strong offer that equates to 10% or £2,006 for the lowest paid at the request of the trade unions.
“Throughout these negotiations we have met every request of our trade union colleagues.”
