UP to 200,000 council workers across Scotland are set to strike during COP26 in a new dispute over pay.
Local government unions have today issued notices of industrial action to local authorities across Scotland.
It comes after RMT again confirmed that rail workers are to go on strike during the Glasgow climate change summit as talks over a pay dispute "failed".
The RMT union confirmed that the strike which could bring Scotland's rail services to a standstill will go ahead as world leaders and leading climate change activists descend on Glasgow later this month for COP26.
The Joint Trade Unions say they have between them mandates to take action in half of Scotland’s local authority areas, including Glasgow.
Today they have notified the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities that they have served notices to those authorities, and that they will be "calling out" those employed in school cleaning, school catering, school janitorial, waste, recycling and fleet maintenance services on the November 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.
Unions say it is understood that this could be the start of an "escalating period of action" if the employers do not change their position.
It is now more than 10 months since the unions submitted their pay claim, on behalf of the 200,000 local government workers covered by the Scottish Joint Council negotiating machinery, and 19 months into a global pandemic which the unions say has seen them working "flat out" on the frontline with no reward.
The unions have also written to the finance secretary Kate Forbes calling on her to intervene saying that it is "not credible" for the Scottish Government to "wash their hands" of local government workers.
Wendy Dunsmore, Unite industrial officer, said: “Unite’s members across eleven local authorities will be taking targeted strike action due to the abject failure by COSLA and the Scottish Government to pay workers a fair and decent wage. The incredible professionalism and sacrifice by local government workers has not been recognised during the Covid-19 pandemic, and Unite’s members will no longer tolerate being treated as the poor relation in our public services."
"School cleaners, caterers and janitors alongside fleet maintenance, waste and refuse workers are saying enough is enough. Let’s be clear that this situation has arisen because COSLA and the Scottish Government are forcing local government workers into taking industrial action due to their derisory pay offer. Both have a duty to get back round the negotiating table with a new offer or industrial unrest is imminent.”
The climate change summit will takeover Scotland’s largest city from October 31 to November 12.
Powerful figures, such as Joe Biden, Barack Obama, The Queen and Greta Thunberg, are among the names confirmed to appear at the conference.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that COP26 could be the world’s “last chance” to tackle climate change.
Councils are offering local government workers earning below £25,000 a year an £850 increase in wages, with smaller rises for those earning more.
This would see staff earning between £25,000 and £40,000 get a 2% rise and those on £40,000 to £80,000 getting 1%, while those earning more than that would get an extra £800 a year.
However the unions insist all workers should get a rise of either 6% or £2000, whichever is greater.
Johanna Baxter, UNISON Scotland head of local government said: “It is the combined failure of both COSLA and the Scottish government to reward these key workers that has led to the situation where we have now been forced to issue notice of targeted strike action.
"Our members are at breaking point and are worth more than what is on offer – it is deeply regrettable that they should have to withdraw their labour for the employer to recognise their worth. Over 55% of LG workers earn below £25k per year, and the vast majority have received no reward at all for their efforts during the Covid pandemic. The current offer does not even bring the lowest paid LG workers up to £10 per hour."
A total of 1,500 Glasgow City Council staff in the refuse, cleansing, school janitorial and catering sectors could strike because of an ongoing pay dispute, with 96.9 per cent of returned ballots backing industrial action.
GMB members rejected a £850-a-year increase for staff earning up to £25,000 a year from local authority umbrella body Cosla, with the union - along with Unison and Unite - all calling for a £2,000 pay rise.
Drew Duffy, GMB senior organiser said: “Scottish politicians have failed to value Local Government workers throughout this pandemic and so many of these worker are low paid key workers. Today, thousands of these low paid workers will be telling their employer that they will be going on strike across Schools and Waste to fight for a decent pay rise. Scottish Council leaders and Scottish ministers have let these workers down by failing to value the work they do so these workers will now be forced to close schools and leave household waste uncollected to force these leaders to pay then what they deserve. It’s been over 18 months since any of these key workers had a pay rise and that is a disgrace given the work they have done over the last 18 months.”
A Cosla spokesman said: “We appreciate everything that local government workers have been doing, and continue to do, to support people and communities during the pandemic and as we begin to recover.
“We continue with ongoing constructive negotiations.”
Strikes are currently scheduled to take place in the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyle and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Edinburgh, Fife, Glasgow City, Moray, North Lanarkshire, Orkney, South Ayrshire, Stirling and West Lothian council areas.
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