Perth and Kinross UNISON strike for pay justice

Text of a Socialist Party Scotland leaflet

Socialist Party Scotland offer our full support to the striking UNISON members at Perth and Kinross council whose action begins today. Hundreds of schools and early years workers are on strike for two weeks in a fight for pay justice. Indeed they are striking for every UNISON member in Scotland who voted overwhelmingly to reject the less than inflation imposed pay offer from the employer.

Socialist Party Scotland members in UNISON argued that the offer was unacceptable. UNISON, the largest trade union in local government, with over 90,000 members, overwhelmingly rejected the offer with 86% of those voting to reject in an online ballot.

As Perth and Kinross UNISON branch secretary Stuart Hope commented: “A fair pay deal should have been in place from 1 April, but six months later it’s still not been agreed. Instead, the employer has imposed a wage rise rejected by a majority of the workers UNISON represents. Yet again local government staff are being forced to strike to simply get fair pay.”

well short

Both the original and “improved” offers were well short of the joint trade union claim of 7% that was tabled in January 2024. COSLA and the SNP government need to learn lessons and stop dragging their heels and come to the table with a meaningful offer much earlier in future as members are fed up waiting year after year for money owed to them.

The threat of industrial action from waste and education workers pushed the employer to increase the offer from its original one. This shows when workers stand up and fight and when the unions take the lead more can be achieved.

UNISON’s local government committee is balloting all members in local government. The timeline for this is still to be determined, however work now starts at branch level to engage members and explain why they need to fight for more money on pay, linking this to a campaign for more funding overall for services.

Again, Socialist Party Scotland members in UNISON have argued for and support this strategy. There are mandates in a number of other council areas and consideration should be made by the Unison Scotland leadership to those areas also taking strike action as soon as possible.

COLSA have now disgracefully imposed the deal given two of the three trade unions have voted to accept, however this has only angered a significant number of Unison members and activists.

The strategy now of an all-member ballot in UNISON allows all council sectors to be included and all workers to be engaged in the fight for fair pay. While we have seen some movement in increasing the offer, workers deserve more.

We have seen a decrease in pay of 25% over the last 14 years of wage freezes and below inflation rises. Inflation has come down, but is volatile, given the Bank of England are still wrestling with the interest rates as capitalism lurches from one crisis to another.

At both Scottish and UK Government level we need mass investment in public services. Both Labour and SNP-led councils, and the Scottish government, have continually carried out cuts. UNISON in branches, like Glasgow and Dundee, have for years demanded the setting of no cuts/needs based budgets as part of a fighting strategy to win a return of the billions stolen from local government after 15 years of austerity.

Only funding and investment in workers and services with socialist policies will fix the problems in local government. Both the SNP and Labour have shown their inability and unwillingness to stand up for council workers.

a party for workers

As Socialist Party Scotland member and Dundee UNISON branch secretary Jim McFarlane said: “More and more trade unionists are concluding there is a need for the trade unions to take steps to standing their own candidates for election.

“Starmer has continued where the Tories left off. The SNP have carried out cuts for years. That’s why Socialist Party Scotland members, including Unison activists, stand as part of the Scottish Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition in elections , as a step towards build a mass party of the working class based on the trade unions.”

• Thursday 24 Oct 10am – Protest at John Swinney’s constituency office Blairgowrie
• Tuesday 29 Oct 12 noonStrike rally, North Inch, Perth