COSLA imposing 3 year pay deal is kick in teeth to local government workers

COSLA today imposed a revised three year pay deal on Scottish local government workers. The employers withdrew their earlier offer and imposed one made up of 0.65% this year and a pay freeze for the next two years. See BBC report www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11113306  



UNISON today reacted angrily to COSLA’s decision to impose a three year pay deal, calling it a kick in the teeth to local government workers.

Stephanie Herd, Chair of UNISON’s Scottish Local Government Committee, said: “COSLA has misrepresented the unions’ negotiating position and has said they value employees, while kicking them in the teeth today.


“Imposing a deal is not the way to do pay bargaining and is totally unfair to hard working local government workers across Scotland.

“UNISON has made the case that there is an alternative to the cuts agenda, an alternative that delivers the quality services Scotland needs, with decent pay and conditions for staff.”

Dougie Black, UNISON trade union side secretary and lead negotiator, said: “All three trade unions jointly sought talks with COSLA and these took place yesterday.

“Our position was that we wanted to look at re-shaping the offer and we were not asking for more money. We simply wanted to talk about re-shaping their offer.

“COSLA had budgeted for 1% this year but have chosen to impose a lower figure than the Tory/Liberal Democrat coalition are prepared to pay public sector workers south of the border.


“It is contemptible that they say they value public service workers. They can’t possibly when they are reducing wages, taking an offer off the table and imposing something worth less.”


ENDS


Notes to Editors:
Three unions make up the trade union side of the Scottish Joint Council: UNISON, Unite and GMB.

.