Civil servants back strike action

Union bosses said the action could disrupt some Holyrood business

Scottish civil servants have backed strike action by 18 votes in a dispute over pay.

The PCS union expressed anger that the Scottish Government had proposed to cap pay rises at 2%.

Three other public sector unions - Unison, Unite and the GMB - have also balloted for action over pay.

The government claimed the result of the vote showed that workers realised it had done as much as possible on the issue.

Union bosses claimed industrial action could hit policy delivery, ministerial visits, answers to Scottish parliamentary questions and operations at the Registers of Scotland.

Eddie Reilly of the PCS, which has about 35,000 members in Scotland, said: "In spite of daily pressures of rising food costs, travel, gas and electricity, PCS members in the Scottish Government and Registers of Scotland have demonstrated the strength of their anger over the proposed pay cut."

'Best deal'

PCS Scottish Government members narrowly backed strike action, with 931 voting for and 913 against, on a 54% turnout.

A total of 1,261 voted for non-strike industrial action, with 500 voting against.

The Scottish Government said it would continue to consider staff feedback on the pay offer.

But a spokesman added: "The narrowness of this result highlights the fact many staff recognise, in a period of tight public expenditure, that the Scottish Government has done as much as it could to address the pressure all households face due to rising costs of living, and works to deliver the best deal possible for staff."