"Council staff who work tirelessly to provide services across the festive period are being treated in a disgraceful fashion by their employers," say UNISON.
UNISON, and other local authority trade unions, lodged a pay claim with the Scottish employers in August 2016. See pay claim.
However despite many requests employers have failed to respond to it. That’s despite arranging pay claim discussion meetings but then cancelling them at short notice.
UNISON is calling on Scottish local government employers to get round the table in the first days of January 2017, so we can get the new year off to a good start.
UNISON’s lead negotiator, Douglas Black said ‘this is a dreadful way to treat staff who are working exceptionally hard under extreme circumstances to deliver the services that we all rely on. The Scottish employers need to take a hard look at themselves and understand that the greatest asset they rely on are their own staff.’
Mark Ferguson, chairperson of UNISON Local Government Committee added, ‘if an offer is not forthcoming then UNISON will not hesitate to consider taking action to force the employers to the negotiating table. Local government staff are keeping our vital services going over the festive period. It’s surely not too much to ask that the employers at least respond to our pay claim.”
UNISON is contacting all local Councillors to ask them to exert pressure on the employers negotiators to address this issue immediately.
