GMB Scotland workers strike at Scottish Water

GMB Scotland members at Scottish Water will strike today and tomorrow as a rolling programme of industrial action threatens emergency repairs, testing and maintenance.

Claire Greer, GMB Scotland organiser, said the strikes are going ahead after the publicly-owned utility failed to improve a pay offer overwhelmingly rejected by workers.

She said the company had revised the offer after joint talks with conciliation service Acas but only made it worse.

She said: “The company has made these negotiations painfully complicated for no good reason.

“A revised offer received last week was shorter but clearly no better than the one already rejected and, for some workers, worse.

“Our priority remains reaching a resolution to this dispute but weeks of talks have managed to leave us behind where we started.

“The strikes will go on and action will escalate until our members are made a fair and acceptable pay offer.”

Scottish Water members of GMB Scotland and other staff unions will strike today and tomorrow as plans are made for lengthier, more disruptive walkouts next month.

They backed industrial action after the water company, where executives received record bonuses last year, reduced the terms of a pay offer that had already been rejected.

Workers voted against an offer of 3.4% or £1400 covering the last nine months as the company changes the date for annual rises to take effect from July to April.