Tag: News

Local government reform must put workers’ voices at the centre

Joint statement from UNISON Scotland’s convenor Mark Ferguson and local government committee chair Susanne Gens: 

We are aware of the Scottish government’s proposals for the future of local government  in Scotland. 

The proposals would represent a seismic shift from the current 32 councils to between six and ten regional authorities and 120 to 160 community authorities. This will have major implications for UNISON members working in local government and the communities they serve. 

What is striking about the proposals is what they do not say. There is no meaningful detail on the local government workforce or the role of trade unions, despite the central role our members play in delivering public services. 

There has been no consultation with UNISON on these proposals. A three-month period for reform on this scale is woefully insufficient. Reform must be done with workers, not to workers. 

The Scottish government cannot credibly promise stronger local democracy while simultaneously cutting around 20,000 public service workers and slashing millions from budgets. New regional and community authorities will require investment, skilled staff and the resources to make them work. Major reductions in the workforce will ultimately leave communities with less, not more. 

There is also a lack of detail on how these new structures would be funded. Real reform must be about strengthening public services, not just finding ways to spend less.  

There is equally little detail on social care. UNISON believes the Scottish government must learn the lessons from its failed attempt to set up a National Care Service. Low pay is the single biggest barrier to fixing the care crisis. Without urgent investment in wages, staffing shortages will deepen, leaving vulnerable people in hospital beds for much longer than necessary. We must be clear that care must be driven by need, not profit, and any reform must address these issues rather than just moving responsibilities between different structures.  

Public service workers understand how services work, where they could work better and what is needed to improve them. Their expertise is vital to reform.  

If the Scottish government wants stronger communities, better local services and a stronger democratic voice, it must invest in the people that make them possible. You cannot build better public services by cutting the people that deliver them. Jobs must be protected, and reform must not undermine the local democracy that councils thrive on. 

We are seeking meetings with decision-makers to ensure our members’ voices are heard and are central to any discussions about changes to local government. Meaningful reform requires meaningful engagement with the workforce and its trade unions.  

Local government reform must put workers’ voices at the centre – UNISON Scotland

Stirling UNISON’s Industrial Action Ballot

Stirling UNISON’s Industrial Action Ballot following the Stirling Council’s imposition of the new  Organisational Change Policy

Stirling Council imposed a new Organisational Change policy that removes hard won terms and conditions. Under this new policy:

•            You have lost the right to receive up to 3 years additional pension entitlement if you were leaving the organisation in a way that allowed you to access your pension.

•            You have lost the entitlement to discretionary enhanced benefits, meaning that there is no guarantee that members would not leave employment with anything more than basic redundancy pay. This is a huge reduction in the severance pay that you could be entitled to. A 50-year-old who earns £26,000 per year with 20 years’ service would receive £12,250 under the new policy. Under previous arrangements, they would have received £26,950.

•            There is a real terms reduction in the “payback period” for the cost of any benefits paid to staff when they leave.  This is another method that cuts the Council’s ability to offer enhanced rates.

•            There is no guarantee of any long-delayed Job Evaluation outcomes being backdated beyond two years. If the Council take longer than 2 years to evaluate your job, you could lose out on wages that should be yours.

•            The Council can use settlement agreements in what should be redundancy situations, restricting members rights to speak about their experiences at work.  We feel that this is an unnecessary gagging of Council workers, particularly as you will not be paid a premium payment as outlined on the second bullet point above.

•            The Council has removed a reference to the legislation around permanency rights. This has been an issue in Stirling Council in the past and we feel that having this clearly marked in policy results in better outcomes for members.

In addition, we are hoping to resolve the imposition of generic job titles within Land Services, and the associated issues resulting from this.

To respond to these changes, we held a consultative ballot with selected groups of members to see if they would be willing to take action. This closed in late April, and those in favour were:

Wellgreen Car Park Attendants – 100% in favour

Enforcement officers – 100% in favour

Street Cleansing – 100% in favour

Waste – 98% in favour

Next steps

UNISON has now given Stirling Council formal notice that we will be balloting members for industrial action. The ballot will be open from 2nd June until 14th July.

Balloted members will receive additional communications from the branch on how to vote. If you are not in one of the above groups, then no further action is required.

However, please continue to show your support by liking, sharing and commenting on our Facebook posts. You can also talk to your colleagues about the issues and why they are important to you.

Remember, these groups of workers are taking action for ALL Stirling Council employees, as the changes will impact everyone.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your local steward or the branch.

Yours sincerely,

Tony Caleary

Branch Secretary

UNISON Stirling Branch

An Inspirational Woman – International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day gives us the chance not only to reflect on the inequalities women have faced, but also to recognise and celebrate the women whose leadership, strength, and solidarity shape our workplaces and our union.

Today, UNISON Stirling Branch is proud to honour the exceptional contribution of our Branch Secretary, Lorraine Thomson.

For the past 13 years, Lorraine has been a steadfast advocate for our members—negotiating, bargaining, and campaigning for fairer working conditions, improved pay, and strong public services. Her commitment to equality and justice has strengthened our Branch and made a real difference to the lives of countless colleagues.

Lorraine’s leadership is matched by her humanity. She has been a trusted friend and colleague to many, offering support, guidance, and a listening ear through some of the most challenging moments in our workplaces. She is supportive, knowledgeable, and always willing to stand beside others when they need it most.

Her dedication has often meant giving up time with her own family to ensure the Branch has her full commitment. She has consistently gone above and beyond what has ever been expected of her, demonstrating a level of care and responsibility that truly sets her apart.

On International Women’s Day, we celebrate Lorraine not only as a dedicated Branch Secretary and strong female activist, but as someone whose presence, integrity, and compassion continue to inspire us all. We thank her sincerely for everything she has done—and continues to do—for our members and our Branch.

Lorraine has spoken passionately on women’s issues both locally and nationally, ensuring that women’s voices are heard, respected, and valued.

Through her mentorship and support, she has inspired and guided many newer female activists within the Branch and beyond, helping to build confidence, solidarity, and lasting change. Her dedication to equality and justice continues to strengthen our Branch and empower future generations.

With gratitude and solidarity on International Women’s Day, and on behalf of Stirling UNISON, we wish Lorraine every success in her new adventure.

Unison Stirling Branch LG Organisational Change Policy Dispute/Grievance Update

We advised members of concerns and the decision taken at a full committee meeting of Stirling Council held on Thursday 26th June 2025 to change and implement a new Organisational Change Policy despite the UNISON Stirling Branch having raised concerns in relation to the changes proposed, lack of information/detail, lack of robust/meaningful consultation and erosion of our members terms and conditions. We issued the employer with the grievance/dispute on the 21st July 2025.

Failure to Consult Letter Greivance/Dispute

We can now advise that we met with the employer on the 2nd September to discuss our Grievance dispute, however at that point there was no further movement in relation to our concerns. The UNISON Stirling Branch Executive took the decision on the 16th September to move to a consultative ballot of all our Stirling Council members on this matter. Since notifying the employer of this decision to move to an all members ballot the employer has reached out and has advised they wish to have further discussions. Whilst we are happy to engage on this matter in the hope of achieving a satisfactory resolution that we can put to our members the UNISON Stirling Branch Executive have made the decision to continue with the consultative ballot in the event that talks fail to address the concerns we have raised with the employer.

On that basis to allow preparation for the ballot we ask all members to immediately check that all their UNISON membership details are up to date particularly their e-mail address. You can do this by going to your MyUNISON account or by contacting UNISON direct on 0800 0857 857. The consultative ballot will be a digital ballot and your ballot will be sent directly to the e-mail address we hold for you.