Scotland - Local government strike
WORKERS, SEPTEMBER 2008 ISSUE
On 20 August members of Unison, the GMB and Unite were on strike for 24 hours in Scotland in protest against a 2.5 per cent pay offer, which given the rate of inflation is effectively a pay cut.
Local services including schools, libraries, daycare centres, bin collections and ferry crossings were disrupted, though the level of disruption differed between council areas. Unions and employers, as in England and Wales have now re-opened talks over the pay deal.
The fact that Scottish local government workers have separate pay negotiations, separate ballots, and separate disputes from counterparts in England and Wales arises from devolution and represents a weakness for the whole. Unions agreed to this split in the fond hope that Scotland would fare better on its own, but where will the money be found?