Unions reject Scots pay offer
Trade unions in Scotland have formally rejected employers’ pay offer of an £800 lower-rate pay rise for 2021, dismissing the sum as an unacceptably poor response to staff efforts during COVID-19.
In a statement issued just before the Easter break, the Joint Trade Unions body said the offer from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) fell well short of the £2,000 flat rate (or 6% increase) staff bodies had demanded. The three main unions – Unison, GMB and Unite – will now ballot their members to take action to secure an improved offer.
But Cosla has defended its offer as affordable, given the ongoing town hall austerity due to the pandemic.