More school strike dates set for next month over a pay dispute

Unison has announced that next month school support staff in four council areas are to strike next month over a pay dispute.

On 8 November Unison members in Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh, Fife and South Lanarkshire will walk out.

Unison Scotland’s head of local government Johanna Baxter said: “Despite our repeated calls for Cosla and the Scottish Government to get back round the table for meaningful discussions we have had no invitations to even exploratory talks.

“The union is committed to reaching a resolution to this dispute as soon as possible.

“And there is still time for Cosla and the Scottish Government to get back round the negotiating table to explore every avenue to reaching a negotiated settlement and avoid further disruption for parents and students.

“The strength of feeling amongst Unison’s 91,000 local government members, who voted overwhelmingly to reject Cosla’s latest pay offer, is clear. They are determined to continue to fight to get an improved pay offer.”

Unison Scotland chair of the local government committee Mark Ferguson said: “The current offer amounts to a real-terms pay cut and adds further stress to a dedicated workforce already suffering from the cost-of-living crisis.

“Cosla and the Scottish Government need to give school staff a decent wage rise, fund any increase properly and commit to implementing a minimum underpinning rate of pay of £15 per hour for all local government workers.”