THE prospect of strikes affecting Scotland’s council services has moved closer, after a key union voted to reject a £350m pay deal and move towards industrial action.

Unite local government staff members voted 73% against a 3% pay offer from the council umbrella group Cosla in a consultative ballot.

Of this group, 88% indicated support for industrial action.

A separate ballot for Unite’s local government craft members is due to close on October 26.

The Unite vote is seen as an early pointer towards industrial unrest, as the union has so far moved in lock-step with the GMB and Unison in opposing the Cosla deal.

All three unions are demanding parity with teachers, some of whom stand to get 10% rises under a separate pay offer supported by the Scottish Government.

Cosla say their £350m offer of a 3% rise for those earning up to £80,000, and a flat £1600 for those earning more, would offer parity with NHS workers and most other parts of the public sector, and any more could lead to cuts.

Ann Farrell, of Unite Scotland, said members had “emphatically rejected” the Cosla offer.

She said: “This outcome was inevitable in light of Cosla’s failure to properly and fairly reward the lowest-paid workers in local government. Unite will now move to a legal ballot following the mandate we have received from our membership. We will be urging all members to vote for industrial action.”

Unison Scotland also urged its 80,000 council members to reject the deal in a consultative ballot that runs to November 7.

Unison’s Johanna Baxter said: “Our local services are delivered by one team and if Cosla and the Scottish Government really value the contribution all their staff make they must ensure that everyone who works in local government gets a fair and decent pay rise.”

Cosla resources spokeswoman Gail Macgregor said she was deeply disappointed that Unison was urging its membership to reject “a very fair offer of 3% in a one-year deal - backdated to April”.

Cllr Macgregor added: “I am also disappointed that with various ballots now underway and more on the horizon that my own priority of getting the backdated pay rise into the pay packets of our workforce looks unlikely to happen soon.”

She said £350m was a “massive investment”, adding: “We asked the trade unions to take a realistic approach and accept our offer and then work together for a fairer settlement from the Scottish Government - but obviously this isn’t something they are willing to do.”