Council strike action could see Dumfries and Galloway school closures and waste in the streets

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Strike action will see school closures and waste piling up on the streets, trade union leaders warned this week.Dumfries and Galloway Council workers, along with local authority employees across Scotland, are being balloted for a strike over pay.About 25,000 staff working in schools, nurseries, waste and recycling centres Scotland-wide will be asked to consider industrial action.Unison has demanded immediate action from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Finance Secretary Kate Forbes over the pay dispute.

After Ms Forbes “respectfully declined” to get involved in the row, Unison, Unite and GMB unions urged members to vote to strike.

The ballot will close on July 26. J’an Andrews, secretary of the regional branch of Unison, said: “It’s no wonder our local government workers feel undervalued.“After years of declining pay and cuts to local government budgets, it’s time for COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) and the Scottish Government to get round the table to ensure sufficient funding is available to give our local government workers the fair and decent pay rise they deserve.”If workers vote for industrial action then strikes could begin in August, disrupting the beginning of the new school term.The trade unions warn that if the dispute is not swiftly resolved then walkouts will “close schools across the country and see waste piling up on the streets”.COSLA, the umbrella body representing employers, has offered a two per cent increase.

But with inflation at a 40-year high and topping 11 per cent, union leaders argue that this represents a pay cut.Johanna Baxter, Unison head of local government, said: “People seem to have forgotten who kept our country going during the past few years – these workers are the