GMB Calls For ‘Recognition And Respect’
GMB Calls For ‘Recognition And Respect’ From Scottish Government Over Local Government Pay
GMB Scotland has today (Friday 12 January) called on the Scottish Government to ‘recognise and respect’ the dedication of council staff throughout a decade of austerity by supporting their trade unions’ claim for a substantial pay award.
GMB, along with its sister unions in Scottish local government, Unison and Unite, will attend the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) AGM this afternoon in Edinburgh, submitting a claim for a £1,500 increase across all council pay grades for 2018/19.
Joint trade union representatives will also press COSLA to reaffirm its commitment to a ‘no compulsory redundancy’ clause across all thirty-two Scottish councils, mirroring the same job protections given to NHS and Scottish Government employees.
The Scottish Government’s Finance Secretary Derek Mackay is scheduled to finalise the Scottish Budget, including the settlement for local government, later next month.
GMB Scotland Senior Organiser Drew Duffy said: “Derek Mackay has committed the Scottish Government to ending austerity but for the last decade unprecedented pressure has been placed on the livelihoods of council staff and the services they deliver.
Scotland’s austerity shame is evident in littered streets; pot holed roads, pit stop home care and increased levels of violence against school support staff, with tens of thousands of redundancies since 2010 leaving staff at the coalface working longer and harder for less.
This isn’t sustainable. Against the backdrop of a six year high in the cost of living and after ten years of real term cuts, this claim will deliver significant but much needed pay rises for hard-pressed council staff - particularly for those on the lowest pay grades.
For too long council workers have been treated like the poor relations of our public sector and it’s time the Scottish Government properly recognise and respect our members for their unwavering dedication and sacrifice throughout these tough times.”
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Contact: GMB Scotland Senior Organiser Drew Duffy on 07912 560806 or Peter Welsh, GMB Scotland Communications, on 07976 447077.
