UNION leaders have called for the First Minister to intervene as hundreds of staff at the nation's state-owned water supplier prepare to strike in mid-November.
Last ditch talks involving Scottish Water and trade unions have broken down with the latter claiming the organisation attempted to force through changes to pay and conditions without agreement.
Scottish Water met with union representatives on Monday, through the conciliation service Acas, but failed to reach an agreement which would avert the first strike at Scotland’s publicly-owned water company.
The company has had the same pay structure for 21 years and has been designing a new one, leading to objections and then a strike vote by the GMB, Unite and Unison trade unions.
Union insiders claim that the talks were a delaying tactic to allow Scottish Water to prepare for any disruption caused by the strike.
Unions say the dispute comes after managers linked this year’s pay offer to a wider restructuring of grades and salaries which, unions say, will limit future wages and must be negotiated separately.
Following this latest round of talks, unions are now preparing to serve two weeks’ notice of strike action later this week, which would have the potential to disrupt everyday maintenance and emergency callouts.
Scottish Water is now looking at minimising disruption if strikes go ahead.
It has said their offer is "fair and reasonable" and would mean an 8% rise in pay for every staff member alongside a pay and grading structure reform.
But unions say the pay needs to be split from the reform which they believe will have long-term impact on workers’ pay and should be subject to separate negotiations.
Humza Yousaf has now been urged to intervene to avert looming strikes at Scottish Water by unions accusing the publicly-owned utility of acting like a rogue employer.
GMB Scotland say the First Minister took credit for negotiating pay deals in NHS Scotland without industrial action when health secretary and that he must now step in at the water company.
GMB Scotland organiser Claire Greer said: “Humza Yousaf is on the record commending the work of trade unions and the need for good employers to work with them in the best interests of their staff.
“Given that, he should have some very serious questions for Scottish Water about why it is refusing to seriously engage with trade unions despite the escalating concern of workers.
“If management had entered these negotiations in good faith, this dispute could have been resolved some time ago.
“It is hugely concerning that a publicly-owned company is being allowed to act in such a way by ministers apparently happy to let it.”
In August, the First Minister wrote to the Minster Care Group in a bid to avert industrial action by care workers, writing: “My own relationship with trade unions in all sectors, including GMB Scotland, has been positive and constructive.
“Even where there have been disagreements, my approach has always been to continue constructive dialogue to try and find a solution.
“I hope you can offer reassurances that this will be your approach going forward.”
A contingency planning management team at Scottish Water is looking at service requirements for any periods of industrial action.
Scottish Water’s chief operating officer, Peter Farrer, said: “We have always wanted to do the right thing for our employees.
“We are also surprised this proposal isn’t being taken to union members which was something we requested happen.
“We now need to plan for a period of industrial action to ensure we can maintain services for our customers and do the right thing for them too.
“Planning for that scenario now is the responsible course of action.
“We are closely examining every aspect of our service which could be impacted.
“We will do so whilst remaining 100% committed to seeking agreement and a way forward which avoids industrial action.
“It is something we would always want to avoid.
“The door remains open to discussion and agreement despite the Acas process coming to an end.
“We do not want customers to experience any disruption to their supplies or services and will do all we can to minimise that risk.
“Maintaining public health and protecting the environment are key factors for us.
“We are working to do all that we can so we can make sure clean water supplies and effective waste water treatment services run to the high standard people in Scotland expect should we see any days of industrial action activity.”
But GMB Scotland said Scottish Water's actions show that going to Acas was "another box to be ticked by executives determined to steamroller these changes into place without negotiation".
The union said: “While we were hoping to negotiate seriously to find a resolution, they were preparing for industrial action.
“Every step they have taken during these discussions has been a misstep.
“Scottish Water like to say there have been 18 meetings with the unions. In fact, there have been 18 meetings when they told us what was going to happen and ignored warnings of growing unease among staff.
“These negotiations, if that is what we have to call them, have done nothing to resolve this dispute but only raised serious questions about the good judgement and good faith of what is a publicly-owned company.
“It has been a disgraceful assault on long-standing industrial relations procedures and it is beyond time for Scottish Government ministers to say so.
“This dispute could be easily resolved by decoupling the new grading scheme from the pay offer and the company’s categorical refusal only increases the concerns of staff.”
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