"Too little, too late, and too vague": warnings of further school strikes

Unison is warning there could be further school strikes if there is not more clarity over the latest pay offer from employers.

The union has called the latest offer from Cosla, the council umbrella body, “too little, too late, and too vague.”

Earlier this week, school support staff, including janitors and caterers, walked out for three days in 24 of Scotland’s local authorities, leading to a large number of closures.

They have called on Cosla in a letter to release a copy of the revised pay scales, saying without the information staff cannot decide whether to accept it.

"Insult to injury"

Unison Scotland local government committee chair, Mark Ferguson, said “For Cosla to tell council staff to 'sign up now and we'll tell you how much you'll get later' just adds insult to the injury of the ongoing wait for a pay deal that should have been in wage packets in April.

"Most council staff want to know 'what does this offer mean for me?', but if the pay scales aren't published, it's impossible to know.

"Cosla must explain. And if it has any confidence its offer is fair, it would be putting pay scales on billboards rather than keeping them secret."

The committee will meet early next week to discuss any further plans for industrial action.

Unison was the only union to go ahead with planned strikes this week, with Unite and the GMB suspending theirs to ballot members after the new deal was offered.

In the letter to Cosla, the union warned: "You will wish to note that future strike days are likely to be even bigger than the ones this week since we have welcomed several thousand new members to the Unison family over the last week."

A Cosla spokesperson said: "Cosla has made every effort to avert these strikes - we have listened to our trade unions, met their asks and worked with Scottish Government to put an incredibly strong half a billion pound pay package on the table.

"Strikes are in nobody's interests and benefit no-one, least of all children and young people and their families.

"Impossible to know" without payscales

"Two out of the three trade unions suspended their action and have agreed to put the offer to their members - I would ask Unison to reconsider pressing ahead with this damaging action and allow their members to consider this offer."

Unison Scotland's head of local government Johanna Baxter said: "The union will consult its council workers on the latest offer.

"But Cosla must come clean about how the offer will affect revised pay scales and clarify precisely where the money will come from.

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