Members Vote to Accept COSLA Offer on Local Authority Pay

GMB Scotland Members Vote to Accept COSLA Offer on Local Authority Pay

GMB Scotland members have voted by a significant majority to accept this year’s pay offer by local authority representative body COSLA.  The consultative ballot on pay resulted in a 69% vote in favour of acceptance of the offer. 

The offer of a flat rate payment of £350 for employees who earn less than £35000 per year, (based on a 37 hour working week), and a 1% uplift for those that earn above £35000 per year is considered the best that can be achieved without resorting to industrial action.

Tony Dowling, GMB Scotland Senior Officer for Public Services said:

GMB Scotland members have voted in favour of this offer which provides a payment of £350 for lower paid workers - those earning less that £35,000 a year - and a 1% uplift for those earning more than £35,000.

We will now be looking for the employers to make good on their commitment to a pay strategy group for local government in which GMB Scotland will make the case for the inconsistencies arising in local government pay to be dealt with fairly. 

Our members are concerned with job security and workload pressure, as a result of local government cuts, as well as pay.   Looking ahead, local and national politicians, and candidates in the upcoming local government elections, should be in no doubt that acceptance of this pay deal does not indicate acceptance of the current direction of travel in Scottish councils.

We cannot keep accelerating austerity in Scotland onto local public services and hard-pressed council staff.  More cuts to come and more sacrifice by local government workers simply isn’t sustainable.”

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Contact: Tony Dowling, GMB Senior Organiser on 0141 332 8641 mobile 07958 477 859. tony.dowling@gmb.org.uk