Waste will pile up in Scotland’s cities and schools will close, unions have warned, after thousands of council workers voted to strike.
The strike is expected to take place by the end of the summer unless an improved pay offer is put forward for local authority staff across the country in schools, pre-schools, nurseries and waste centers and recycling.
Members of the Unite, Unison and GMB unions were voted into each of Scotland’s 32 councils in what has been described as the biggest cost of living crisis in forty years.
Tens of thousands of people voted to reject the 2% pay offer from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla).
Unite confirmed that 26 councils will be affected by industrial action, Unison members in nine local authorities passed the 50% participation threshold required by the Trade Union Act and workers represented by GMB voted in favor of strikes in four cities and another area of the council.
Will your council be affected by the strikes?
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Aberdeen
Waste services will be disrupted and schools may close after Unite and GMB members voted to strike.
Aberdeenshire
Waste services will be disrupted and schools could close after Unison and Unison members voted to strike.
angus
Waste services will be disrupted and schools could close after Unite and GMB members voted to strike.
Argyll and Bute
Waste services will be disrupted after Unite members voted to strike.
Clackmannanshire
Waste services will be disrupted and schools could close after Unison and Unison members voted to strike.
West Island Council
Schools may close after Unite members vote to strike.
Dumfries and Galloway
Waste services will be disrupted after Unite members voted to strike.
Dundee
Waste services will be disrupted and schools could close after Unite and GMB members voted to strike.
East Ayrshire
Waste services will be disrupted and schools may close after Unite members voted to strike.
East Dunbartonshire
Waste services will be disrupted and schools may close after Unite members voted to strike.
East Lothian
Waste services will be disrupted after Unite members voted to strike.
East Renfrewshire
Waste services will be disrupted and schools could close after Unison and Unison members voted to strike.
edinburgh
Waste services will be disrupted and schools could close after Unite and GMB members voted to strike.
Falkirk
Waste services will be disrupted after Unite members voted to strike.
Fife
Waste services will be disrupted after Unite members voted to strike.
Glasgow
Waste services will be disrupted and schools may close after members of Unison, GMB and Unite voted to strike.
Highland
Waste services will be disrupted after Unite members voted to strike.
Inverclyde
Waste services will be disrupted and schools could close after Unison and Unison members voted to strike.
Midlothian
There is currently no strike action planned.
Moray
There is currently no strike action planned.
North Ayrshire
Waste services will be disrupted after Unite members voted to strike.
North Lanarkshire
Waste services will be disrupted and schools could close after Unison and Unison members voted to strike.
Orkney
Waste services will be disrupted and schools could close after Unison and Unison members voted to strike.
Perth and Kinross
Schools may close after Unite members of Tayside Contracts, which operates in Perth and Kinross, voted to strike.
Renfrewshire
Waste services will be disrupted and schools could close after Unite and GMB members voted to strike.
Scottish Borders
There is currently no strike action planned.
Shetland
There is currently no strike action planned.
South Ayrshire
Waste services will be disrupted after Unite members voted to strike.
South Lanarkshire
Waste services will be disrupted and schools could close after Unison and Unison members voted to strike.
Stirling
Waste services will be disrupted and schools could close after Unison members voted to strike.
West Dunbartonshire
There is currently no strike action planned.
West Lothian
Waste services will be disrupted and schools may close after Unite members voted to strike.
What does Cosla say?
A Cosla spokesman said: “Cosla leaders are clear that they value local government staff very highly, which is why discussions are continuing with our union colleagues, to reach an agreement and avoid strike action.
“As employers we have a responsibility to ensure that any payment arrangements that are offered are sustainable and affordable and therefore we cannot go beyond the current offer at this time. As directed by leaders, we are currently in discussions with the Scottish Government and look forward to their response to the leaders’ request for additional funding.”
The Scottish Government is exploring “all options” to avoid strikes
The Scottish Government is exploring “all options” with Cosla to find a solution to the pay dispute with council workers.
A spokesman said: “Ministers note and respect the results of the local government industrial action votes. Local government workers play a crucial role in our communities and are critical to our recovery from the pandemic.
“While the Scottish Government has no formal role in national local government pay negotiations, both the Government and Cosla are working to jointly explore all available options to find solutions.
“In the meantime, the Scottish Government urges all parties to continue dialogue and seek a solution that avoids industrial action.”