Council union in one-day strike

A local government union has called another one-day strike across Scotland in pursuit of its pay claim.

About 100,000 Unison members will walk out on Wednesday 24 September.

The action could be followed by a programme of disruption involving groups of council workers being brought out for up to a week at a time.

Last month 150,000 members of Unison, Unite and the GMB took one-day strike action. The other unions are yet to decide if they will walk out again.

The unions said an offer of a 2.5% pay rise was, in effect, a pay cut.

Talks between local government body Cosla and the three unions broke down earlier this week.

'Clear message'

Union members had hoped Cosla would offer a new one year deal taking inflation into account.

However, Cosla said increasing the original offer of 2.5% in the current economic climate would result in service and job cuts.

Dougie Black, Unison Scotland regional officer, said the decision sent a clear message to the employers.

He said: "Your failure to improve your offer despite previous commitments given in public to do so will not be tolerated by our members."

Mr Black added: "Taking further industrial action is regrettable, but now unavoidable. We have no alternative given the employers' behaviour over this."

Cosla spokesman Councillor Michael Cook said: "I am disappointed that the trade unions are actively planning to put Scotland's communities through more unnecessary disruption."

He said the "financial environment" had changed since the offer was first made in March and he "fully sympathised" with council employees over the pressures they faced.

"As has been outlined those pressures also mean huge difficulties for council budgets," he said.

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