Schools and bin collections could be affected if Ayrshire council workers agree strike action

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The two per cent pay offer made to council workers is ‘nothing short of an insult’ when councillors "gave themselves a 5.2 percent increase", say trade unions.Unison, Unite the the GMB unions are balloting school catering and cleaning staff as well as refuse collectors and recycling workers on targeted strike action.The ballot closes in July and any action is likely to coincide with the start of the new school year, with South Ayrshire Council confirming that it would affect 790 staff.East Ayrshire Council said that there are 1,400 staff in the affected departments, with 430 of them union members.The unions say members have worked ‘above and beyond’ during the pandemic.Unison South Ayrshire branch secretary Renee Gillan told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “UNISON is campaigning for a pay rise for ALL Local Government workers.“After years of declining pay, council workers have had enough.“The cost of living is putting pressure on workers and their families like never before.“Having consistently worked above and beyond to keep our key services going over the past two years of the pandemic, and with the cost-of-living spiralling, COSLA’s offer of a two per cent pay increase for local government workers is nothing short of an insult.“This is a pay cut not a pay rise.“It is less than the Scottish Public Sector Pay policy, falls far short of our pay claim and is significantly below current levels of inflation.“It will exacerbate the gap between those on the lowest and those on the highest rates of pay.

And it is in sharp contrast to the 5.2% increase that Councillors gave themselves in April 2022.”South Ayrshire Council depute leader Lee Lyons said that the impact on schooling should the action go ahead would concern