See below a briefing on what UNISON Scotland know about the implications for local government of the Scottish Government’s plans to amend the National Care Service Bill.
We say ‘what we know’ because the Scottish Government, despite many requests from inside and outside parliament are unable or unwilling to provider many important details.
What we do know though – makes for alarming reading.
It can also be found on the UNISON Scotland Website.
We are pleased to inform you that members in Waste and Street Cleansing in the UNISON Stirling branch have voted to take strike action in Pursuit of an improved Local Government SJC pay claim from the employer.
71.43% of ballot papers were returned which put us comfortably over the anti-trade union law threshold of 50%. 98.95% of returned ballots were in favour of strike action.
This is a fantastic result for our UNISON Stirling Branch and we want to thank all of the Waste and Street Cleansing Workers who voted in the ballot and that are prepared to stand up and take industrial action in pursuit of a fair pay offer for all Council Workers in Stirling and across Scotland.
As you will all now be aware our ballot return has forced the employer to come back to the Trade Unions with an alternative offer which is attached for your information. UNISON Scotland Local Government Committee and Branch Secretary’s will meet tomorrow to discuss/consider this offer and we will keep members up to date at the soonest opportunity.
Workers need more rights – decent lives at and out of work. Work, most
politicians will tell us, is the route out of poverty. Yet 70% of children in poverty live in a
household where someone is in paid work1.
Workers need more rights to make work pay; both individually and collectively.
The Minimum Wage is too low – and has a lower rate for under 21’s; it needs to be a real
Living Wage (£12 at least). Collective bargaining is the best way to improve wages and other terms and conditions. In the UK less than 25% of workers are covered by a
collective agreement.2
COVID has shown how inadequate sick pay is. Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) doesn’t cover
the first three days of illness; very low paid are excluded because they do not earn enough to
qualify; and the shockingly low level of payment. Over one million workers currently get no
SSP at all as a result of not meeting the lower earnings limit which currently stands at £123
a week. 7 in 10 (69%) of those employees missing out on SSP due to the lower earnings
limit are women.
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
| 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 |
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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Stirling UNISON 