Unison will propose its members vote to reject the offer in a consultative vote this week, Unite the union has also decided to reject the deal and the GMB said the proposal was “unacceptable”. Unite said the offer from the council’s umbrella organization COSLA was a “waste of valuable time”. Walkouts by cleaners across the country have seen bins overflow and recycling centers close over the pay dispute. Council leaders tabled a new offer after discussions on Sunday. It included a minimum wage increase of £1,925, based on a 37-hour working week, matching the offer made to local government in England. Johanna Baxter, Unison’s head of local government in Scotland, said: “Unison negotiators have worked day and night to find a solution to this crisis. “We welcome the Scottish Government’s input to date and COSLA’s commitment to scrap SSSC fees, its agreement to a one-off cost of living increase and extra daily leave. “However, as we’ve both repeatedly told them, the size of the current costs bill is simply not large enough to deliver a decent consolidated pay rise for the majority of our members.” It comes as schools across the country are set to close due to further strikes next week. The next phase of strike action will take place in education and waste services, affecting 20 councils from September 6 to 13. Monday’s offer will see the Scottish Government provide an extra £200m over two years – on top of £140m of extra funding already announced – to provide a cost of living payment to local authority workers earning below around £39,000 . Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “No deal is perfect and I wish we could go further, but this deal offers significant increases for those on low pay.” The three unions representing staff, Unite, GMB and Unison, discussed COSLA’s latest deal on Monday. Unions are seeking a deal similar to the one struck in England with a flat rate rise of £1,925. They rejected an earlier offer that would have seen workers receive a 5% rise regardless of where their pay fell on the pay scale, meaning the most money would go to better-paid staff. It comes as hundreds of schools and nurseries are set to close for three days next week, while more than 20 councils suffer bin strikes. Councilor Katie Hagmann, COSLA’s resource officer, said: “We remain in strong active discussions with our union colleagues.”
