Thousands of frontline Renfrewshire Council workers are expected to reject this year’s pay offer and ballot for strike action.

Staff such as cleaners, carers and bin collectors have been offered a rise of between one and two per cent.

However, leaders of the three main trade unions say this is unacceptable, given the vital work performed by council employees during the Covid pandemic.

Unison, Unite and the GMB, which represent around 6,000 council staff, are recommending rejection of the pay offer, to be followed by industrial action.

Workers earning under £25,000 are being offered a two per cent pay rise or £800, whichever is the greater.

All those on a salary of between £25,000 and £40,000 have been offered two per cent, while those earning between £40,000 and £80,000 are in line for one per cent.

Employees who are paid more than £80,000 would receive no increase under the current offer from local authority umbrella organisation Cosla which applies to all council workers across Scotland.

Those being balloted include staff at Renfrewshire Council, Renfrewshire Leisure, Renfrewshire Valuation Joint Board and public service procurement body Scotland Excel.
Unison, which has around 3,500 members in these four organisations, is already making plans for industrial action.

Mark Ferguson, the union’s branch secretary in Renfrewshire, said: “We’re asking our members to refuse the offer, which is a real slap in the face after all the sacrifices they have made in the last 12 months.

“They’ve provided essential, preventative and lifesaving services throughout the pandemic, without a break. They’ve worked beyond their normal hours and in difficult circumstances.

“A large number of our members are women in low-paid employment and struggle to make ends meet.

“Many have also incurred costs delivering services from their own homes, which employers are refusing to reimburse.

“While we welcome the four per cent offered to NHS colleagues, the Scottish Government has quite clearly broken its own pay policy.”

Mr Ferguson, who is also chair of Unison Scotland’s Local Government Committee, said all three unions are looking for increases of six per cent or £2,000.

He added: “Without the dedication of our members, key workers would not have been able to continue to attend work. Our children would not have continued with their education across early years and schools.

“The vulnerable and elderly would not have been provided with essential care and support. Vaccination and testing centres could not have operated without our members.”

The ballot on the pay offer is due to begin on April 12 and end on April 28.

Mr Ferguson said: “If our members vote to refuse the offer, we will be moving as quick as possible to a vote for industrial action. We are fed up being treated as second-class citizens.”

A spokesman for Renfrewshire Council said the pay offer is a matter for Cosla.

A Cosla spokesperson added:  “We have made an offer to our trade union colleagues. This offer remains on the table whilst we continue with ongoing constructive negotiations.”