School strikes to continue in Scotland after union rejects pay offer

16 October 2023 , 14:20

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90% of members voted against the latest pay proposal. (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

Scottish schools are bracing for more strikes as support staff have turned down a pay offer. Unison, the union representing these workers, has announced that nearly 90% of its members voted against the latest pay proposal from local government body Cosla.

The union, which speaks for school support staff like administrators, catering assistants and janitors, has warned of a series of strikes in schools and nurseries in the coming weeks. The dates for these strikes will be revealed soon.

This follows strikes by Unison members in 24 local authorities last month, which resulted in school and nursery closures across much of Scotland.

Unison's Scottish secretary, Lilian Macer, said: "No one takes industrial action lightly. It's a very difficult decision for anyone, but as much as this is about pay, it's also about standing up for local services."

"The school staff taking part in strike action support children in school every day of the year, and many are parents with school-age children too."

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"Workers are taking action because they want children to be educated in well-resourced, well-staffed schools. They want to start trying to reverse years of cuts and under-investment in the workforce and services."

"No one wants to cause disruption for pupils and parents, but school staff have been left with no other option."

"The blame must be laid squarely at the door of Cosla and Scottish ministers. They have it within their gift to end the strike, but they are showing no sign of wanting to do so. That's a terrible shame for everyone affected."

Councillor Katie Hagmann, Cosla's resources spokesperson said: "Obviously this ballot result from Unison is very disappointing given the strength of the offer on the table. I would like to make the following points:"

"Firstly, Scotland's council leaders value their workforce."

"Secondly, we have listened to our trade unions, met all their asks and worked with Scottish Government to put an incredibly strong half a billion pound pay package on the table which we hope the other trade union members will vote to accept."

"Finally, offering almost 10% or a £2,006 pay increase for our lowest paid workers, which the unions specifically asked for, and £1,929 or at least 5.5% for everyone else is as far as local government can go without impacting service and jobs."

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Steve Charnock