Author: Stirling Websites

Rising rents and mortgages are a main cause of financial hardship. Low paid public services
workers in private rented homes are suffering the most.5 A strong system of rent regulation
is needed.
But the root cause is the shortage of social housing. 175,000 people are on local authority
waiting lists including disabled adults and children trapped in inappropriate housing.6 More
than 32,000 households were assessed as homeless in 2023. More households than ever
are living in temporary accommodation, including 9,600 children.7
A sustained programme of capital investment is urgently needed to enable councils and
RSLs to meet needs through new build, purchase and buy-back of former council stock and
upgrade and retrofit homes.
KEY FACTS

• Fewer than 30% of UK households now have mortgages.
• 1 in 6 UNISON members surveyed are struggling to pay their rent or mortgage and 1 in 4
  of those renting privately are in difficulty.
• New let private rents rose by 15.8% in Scotland over the past year.
• A third of UNISON

We are sharing an important update regarding the recent e-vote on COSLA’s latest pay offer. The overwhelming response has sent a clear message: local government workers will not accept an unfair pay deal. After consulting thousands of council workers, an impressive 91% voted to reject COSLA’s two-stage pay offer, which proposed a 2.2% increase for the first six months followed by an additional 2% over the subsequent 12 months, ending in September next year. This offer fails to adequately address the years of pay cuts and the rising cost of living you have endured.UNISON will now move to formally ballot groups of members for selective strike action. Our initial focus is on UNISON members in waste and recycling services in Edinburgh, strategically timed to maximise impact during the Edinburgh Festival. Soon, we will outline a comprehensive timeline and plan to ballot waste members across the rest of Scotland. Additionally, if the dispute continues, we will focus on Education and Health & Social Care members in the coming weeks and months. Your collective voice has been powerful in rejecting this inadequate offer. Now, we need to keep the momentum going by increasing the pressure on local decision-makers.

What happens next?

UNISON will now move to formally ballot groups of members for selective strike action. Our initial focus is on UNISON members in waste and recycling services in Edinburgh, strategically timed to maximise impact during the Edinburgh Festival. Soon, we will outline a comprehensive timeline and plan to ballot waste members across the rest of Scotland. Additionally, if the dispute continues, we will turn our attention to Education and Health & Social Care members in the coming weeks and months. Your collective voice has been powerful in rejecting this inadequate offer. Now, we need to keep the momentum going by increasing the pressure on local decision-makers.

Can you spare a moment to email your Councillor?

Local government staff like you work tirelessly to keep our communities safe, clean, and accessible. However, your pay has dropped by 25% since 2010 while living costs continue to soar. UNISON is pushing for fair pay, and we need your help to make this a reality. We have created an easy-to-use tool for you to email your local councillor and urge them to support this crucial pay rise. We’ve got a template letter ready for you—simply add your personal touch or send it as is! Your voice matters, and together we can make a difference.

Email your Councillor now – Keep the pressure up!

Thank you for your continued support and solidarity. We will keep you informed of any further developments. In solidarity, Colette Hunter Chair of UNISON Scotland local government committee    David O’Connor  UNISON Scotland lead for local government

Pride events

We started the year of pride events with a bang as we worked across Ayrshire branches to provide a Pride breakfast before the Transpride event in Kilmarnock on 30th March. The breakfast was held at the Park Hotel.

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Local Government Pay 2024/25

Your Local Government Committee is recommending members VOTE TO REJECT

COSLA, the local government employer, has made a two-stage offer which covers an 18-month period. The offer is a 2.2% increase from 1st April 2024 to 30^th September 2024 with a further 2% increase from 1st October 2024 to October 2025. Agreement to this deal would result in future pay claim periods being amended to run from October to the following September, instead of April to March.

This offer falls significantly short of our pay claim of 7% (or £1.60 per hour, whichever was the greater) and UNISON is recommending that members VOTE TO REJECT this offer in our consultative ballot.

Your consultative e-vote will be emailed to you on Thursday 30 May.

UNISON is calling for an improved offer that fairly rewards council staff and would be the initial step in reversing years of real-term pay cuts that many of our members have experienced.

UNISON will continue to prepare for strike action should a suitable offer not be made by COSLA.

The key points of the pay offer:

• An 18 month offer.
• 2.2% from the for six months – from 1st April 2024 until 30^th September 2024.
• A change pay implementation date for future years – meaning future pay settlements would run from October to September.
• 2% for 12 months – from 1st October 2024 until 30^th September 2025
• The working groups are on the roadmap to £15 per hour; a reduction in the working week; and professional fees will continue.

E-vote on Council Pay

The consultative ballot on this pay offer will run from the 30^th May 2024 and close on 13^th June 2024. Please look out for your unique email.

These 18 months offer of 2.2 % for six months and 2% next years settlement comes at a time when MSP’s and MP have been awarded 6.7% and 5% respectively for 12 months just goes to show how undervalued local government workers are.

UNISON members deserve a pay settlement that is fair and reflects the importance of the work they do, this offer does neither.

Your Local Government Committee is recommending members VOTE TO REJECT

Local government workers in Scotland are to be consulted about strike action after council employers failed to significantly improve pay, says UNISON.

The union has been in talks with Cosla for many days but says what is on the table is nowhere near the expectations of the staff it represents.

UNISON, Scotland’s largest local government union, expects a formal written offer within days but says it will be rejected outright if there’s no substantial improvement. The union will then move to the first stage of a strike ballot.

UNISON local government committee chair Colette Hunter said: “Pay talks with Cosla have been cordial. But asking council workers to take a real-term wage cut again is unacceptable.

“As things stand, employers are miles away from offering anything staff are likely to accept. No lessons seem to have been learned from last year’s strikes over pay.

“An offer in writing is expected very soon, but there’s little hope that a strike consultation can be avoided. No one wants a repeat of last year’s disruption, but it’s been made abundantly clear that staff cannot wait for months to get a fair pay offer.”

UNISON Scotland’s local government lead David O’Connor said: “UNISON hoped to have a local government pay deal agreed last month.

“But despite a pay claim being submitted at the beginning of the year, Cosla’s resorting to delaying tactics. Employers must understand the growing anger among council workers who are being advised to manage their expectations around pay when MSPs are set to receive a 6.7% pay increase.”

Notes to editors
– UNISON represents over 85,000 council workers it is the largest union in local government.
– Local government staff were due a cost of living pay rise in April pay packets. UNISON submitted a pay claim in January, but no formal pay offer has been received by the union.

UNISON and other local government unions met with COSLA last Thursday to discuss Scottish local government pay.

COSLA set out a few options but as they stand, they do not come near the aspirations set out in our pay claim and significant movement would be required for an agreement to be reached.

To avoid long protracted talks and a repeat of last year’s long delays we have agreed to hold a series of weekly meetings, additionally, Council leaders have provided a mandate to their resource spokesperson which includes the authority to make an offer within the agreed remit without further reference to Leaders (see attached correspondence).

So far talks have been held in a constructive manner with the next meeting set for Thursday 9^th May 2024.

We will keep members updated going forward.

Best wishes,

Lorraine Thomson

UNISON Stirling Branch Secretary

Viewforth

Stirling