Council bosses in Renfrewshire have been pressured into drawing up contingency plans to make sure Thursday's elections don't descend into chaos.
It comes after Unite union chiefs stated they might pull very important employees throughout polling as they attain a stand-off throughout a tense pay dispute and accused the authority of enjoying "thoughts video games" with staff.
Round 200 tradesmen and ladies and apprentices working for the authority's Constructing Companies division will down instruments, say Unite bosses.
They are saying their members play a key function in making certain election day polling goes forward, together with establishing and dismantling polling stations, in addition to delivering very important poll containers to the rely in time.
However the members, lined by Renfrewshire Council's native authority craft settlement, earlier voted unanimously to again strike motion.
Now Unite confirmed staff will down instruments from 8am on Might 3 to 1pm on Might 6 - protecting the election run up, in addition to polling day and the next rely.
An extra time ban for members will even run in tandem.
Union leaders had earlier warned of "rising anger" amongst employees over their remedy by Renfrewshire Council.
They've been additional fuelled by a suggestion described as "beneath inflation" throughout pay negotiations.
It come amidst rising bitterness focused in opposition to the authority after bosses knowledgeable of Unite members' intention to strike gave the order that every one craft staff be faraway from working through the Scottish Native Authorities elections, which is able to see Renfrewshire residents go to the polls to return new councillors on Thursday.
Unite common secretary Sharon Graham stated: “Unite’s craft staff are rightly indignant not solely on the beneath inflation pay supply at a time of punishing dwelling prices however on the doubtlessly unlawful and dear actions by Renfrewshire Council. The council has to make a extra acceptable supply to our members.
"Our members have their union’s full help in combating for higher jobs, phrases and circumstances.”
Unite say Renfrewshire Council's resolution to "take away" their members from their duties is doubtlessly a breach of the Employment Relations Act (1999), which might render it unlawful.
The union says the transfer may "trigger chaos" on the Might 5 ballot and has accused council chiefs of reneging on an agreed backdated pay award to July 2019.
James O’Connell, Unite industrial officer, added: “Unite’s members within the trades and our apprentices have reached the top of their persistence with Renfrewshire Council’s thoughts video games. Strike motion will now hit the forthcoming elections and we don't rule out taking additional motion past the 6 Might. The Council ought to get again around the negotiating desk relatively than intentionally taking steps to escalate this dispute."
However Renfrewshire Council say they hope to proceed negotiations however have drafted up plans to ensure the election goes forward.
A spokesperson for the authority stated: "We stay absolutely dedicated to persevering with optimistic negotiations with Unite the Union to seek out an agreed place for our Constructing Companies workforce as rapidly as attainable, and a pre-arranged assembly with Unite has taken place in the present day.
"We've got been working carefully with the Union relating to mutually agreed modifications to our Constructing Companies employees’s phrases and circumstances and a latest supply to our employees arising from our negotiations was agreed and really helpful for acceptance to their members, however was sadly rejected by the workforce. These discussions are completely separate from the nationwide pay discussions that are led by COSLA."
The spokesperson addded: "As we have now been notified by the union that their members will undertake industrial motion through the dates of the upcoming native authorities election, we have now put in place our contingency preparations to make sure it continues to run as deliberate in Might.
"The election is delivered independently by Renfrewshire’s Returning Officer, with the Council supporting its supply, and the working of the native election for folks in Renfrewshire will proceed with out interruption."
They are saying negotiations are in response to a possible transfer of staff paid below the Craft Settlement to Native Authorities Employment in step with the remainder of council providers and isn't associated to supply of the election or the nationwide pay discussions.
Staff are stated to have rejected a suggestion agreed and really helpful by the commerce union on April 6.