Council bosses have been accused of “blackmail” over claims an inflation-linked pay rise for workers dangers 20,000 jobs.
Native authority umbrella group COSLA is proposing to sound the alarm over jobs after commerce unions hit out at a two per cent provide.
Johanna Baxter, of UNISON union, mentioned: “What kind of society will we reside in when employers attempt to power the bottom paid public sector employees to take a derisory pay provide or face the specter of job losses? That is nothing wanting blackmail.”
Wendy Dunsmore, of the Unite union, mentioned: “Any suggestion that a honest and respectable pay rise for native authorities employees will result in job cuts shouldn't be solely factually incorrect however it's offensive.
“COSLA has confirmed themselves spineless time after time and so they have constantly capitulated to the Scottish Authorities as an alternative of preventing for native authorities employees."
Tens of hundreds of council employees are being balloted for strike motion as a part of a standoff on pay.
A stroll out would come with employees in waste and cleaning companies in addition to key employees in colleges.
COSLA, which negotiates with the unions on pay, needs to supply greater than two per cent however believes its fingers are tied by the funding settlement supplied by the Scottish Authorities.
A COSLA assembly will right now contemplate a paper, obtained by the File, specializing in the “affect on jobs” of a much bigger rise with out additional money from the Authorities.
The proposed PR technique states: “For context if we have been to contemplate extra will increase to the present provide of two per cent this could possibly be expressed because the variety of jobs that could be impacted.
“Any extra 1 per cent enhance to our provide for these teams would value the identical as retaining 2,500 jobs (£90m). To match [trade union] expectations of a ten per cent pay rise would imply including 8 per cent on prime of the present provide and would subsequently equate to virtually 20,000 jobs throughout all grades and companies.”
It added: “Leaders are subsequently requested to approve taking such an strategy to future communications to spotlight the affect of any revised provide that's made.”
Council chiefs are additionally anxious that the Authorities’s current spending evaluate by Cupboard Secretary Kate Forbes earmarked a council funding freeze till 2026.
Sources imagine such a deal would inevitably result in job losses and restrict the scope for pay rises.
Pay settlements for council employees – excluding academics – are a matter for COSLA and are decided by means of negotiations on the Scottish Joint Committee (SJC). As it's not a member of the SJC, the Scottish Authorities can't intervene in pay negotiations, that are for the commerce unions to barter with COSLA.
“Council employees play an important position in our communities as we rebuild the financial system following the pandemic. We might encourage the events to keep up dialogue and keep on the desk to achieve settlement.”
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