Threat of striking support staff over as deal agreed
Unison members voted to accept an improved pay offer following strike action
Last updated 27th Nov 2023
Industrial action which saw thousands of children across Scotland miss out on days of school will come to an end after support staff voted to accept a new pay deal.
Itâs after Unison members voted to accept an improved pay offer following strike action.
Staff will be paid a minimum of £15 per hour by 2026, and the full deal has been backdated to April 2023 rather than some uplifts only happening in January 2024.
Last week, the union released a report showing members who work in schools are having to purchase necessary items for pupils, despite struggling with rising living costs themselves.
Deal "long overdue"
Johanna Baxter, Unison Scotland's head of local government, said: "This deal is long overdue and was hard fought for by Unison members.
"Cosla urgently need to review the bargaining process to ensure that future pay negotiations progress quickly and with as little disruption as possible.
"The improvements secured by Unison in these negotiations help address low pay and support those in the squeezed middle.
"Delivering a minimum rate of pay of £15 per hour for all local government workers by April 2026 will go a long way to tackling low pay and will make a real different to people's lives.
"Backdating the full offer to April 1 2023 means those on very modest incomes are protected during the cost-of-living crisis, too.
"It was Unison members who stood on picket lines to fight for this improved deal.
âIt was Unison negotiators who brokered it.â
Members across all of Scotland's councils voted to accept the latest offer by a margin of 69.6% to 30.4% among those who voted.
Unison was the last union to accept a pay deal after the Unite and GMB unions had already agreed to a deal.
Cosla "has listened" to unions
Katie Hagmann, Cosla's resources spokeswoman, said: "It is great to finally get this deal over the line.
"I am pleased with today's news that Unison members have joined their GMB and Unite colleagues in voting to accept the strong offer from Cosla.
"Throughout this challenging process, we have listened carefully to our trade unions, met all their asks, and worked with Scottish Government to put an incredibly strong half a billion pound pay package forward.
"For the sake of everyone in our local government workforce, who are delivering essential front-line services, I am pleased that the pay offer has now been accepted by all of our trade union colleagues."