More school strike dates announced

School support staff in four more council areas will walk out next month in a dispute over pay, Unison has announced.

Members in South Lanarkshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh and Fife will strike on Wednesday November 8.

The action will come a week after members in Glasgow City, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire and Inverclyde walk out on Wednesday November 1, as part of a rolling programme of action previously announced by the union.

It comes after Unison members voted overwhelmingly to reject Cosla's latest pay offer which the union claims amounts to a "real-terms pay cut".

Unison Scotland's head of local government Johanna Baxter said: "Despite our repeated calls for Cosla and the Scottish Government to get back round the table for meaningful discussions we have had no invitations to even exploratory talks.

"The union is committed to reaching a resolution to this dispute as soon as possible.

"And there is still time for Cosla and the Scottish Government to get back round the negotiating table to explore every avenue to reaching a negotiated settlement and avoid further disruption for parents and students.

"The strength of feeling amongst Unison's 91,000 local government members, who voted overwhelmingly to reject Cosla's latest pay offer, is clear. They are determined to continue to fight to get an improved pay offer."

A large proportion of schools in Glasgow, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire will be closed during the strikes next Wednesday.

In Glasgow all nurseries and primary schools, and additional support learning schools, will close on November 1, while secondary schools in Glasgow will only be open for S4-S6, except for Glasgow Gaelic Secondary School which will be closed to all pupils.

In East Renfrewshire all primary schools, nursery classes within schools and Isobel Mair School will be closed while secondary schools will be closed to all S1-S3 pupils, though open to S4-S6 pupils. The position will be similar in Renfrewshire, while Inverclyde Council has yet to confirm its plans.

Unison Scotland chair of the local government committee Mark Ferguson said: "The current offer amounts to a real-terms pay cut and adds further stress to a dedicated workforce already suffering from the cost-of-living crisis.

"Cosla and the Scottish Government need to give school staff a decent wage rise, fund any increase properly and commit to implementing a minimum underpinning rate of pay of £15 per hour for all local government workers."

Cosla and the Scottish Government have been asked for comment.

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