Pay 2024: Unison get mandate to strike in 14 councils

Read all posts about the pay deal for 2024

Yesterday, Unison announced their ballot result for members in Waste and Cleansing, achieving a mandate for strike action in 14 councils across Scotland, with over 95% of members voting in favour of strike action.

Here’s the current picture across all councils for all Scottish Joint Council (SJC) unions:

1. Aberdeen City Council—Unite and GMB
2. Aberdeenshire Council—GMB (Unite reballoting)
3. Angus Council—Unite
4. Argyll and Bute—(Unite reballoting)
5. The City of Edinburgh Council—Unite and GMB (Unison reballoting)
6. Clackmannanshire Council—Unison
7. Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar—no mandates
8. Dumfries and Galloway Council—Unite and Unison
9. Dundee City Council—Unite
10. East Ayrshire Council—Unite, Unison and GMB
11. East Dunbartonshire—GMB
12. East Lothian—Unison
13. East Renfrewshire Council—Unite
14. Falkirk Council—(Unite and GMB reballoting)
15. Fife Council—Unite, Unison and GMB
16. Glasgow City Council—Unite and Unison (GMB reballoting)
17. Highland Council—Unite (GMB reballoting)
18. Inverclyde Council—Unite, Unison and GMB
19. Midlothian Council—Unison and GMB
20. Moray Council—no mandates
21. North Ayrshire Council—Unite (GMB reballoting)
22. North Lanarkshire Council—Unite, Unison and GMB
23. Orkney Islands Council—GMB
24. Perth and Kinross Council—Unison
25. Renfrewshire Council—Unite
26. Scottish Borders—(Unite reballoting)
27. Shetland Council—no mandates
28. South Ayrshire Council—Unite
29. South Lanarkshire Council—Unison and GMB (Unite reballoting)
30. Stirling Council—Unison and GMB
31. West Dunbartonshire—no mandates (GMB reballoting)
32. West Lothian Council—Unite and Unison (GMB reballoting)

This means that 28 out of 32 councils in Scotland could see industrial actions from members in Waste and Cleansing.

Unite’s ballots in 5 councils will close on 29 July.

We still await a response COSLA.

Other workers involved

In Edinburgh, members in Fleet Services have a mandate to strike.

Unison are balloting members in schools, early years and family centres across all councils in Scotland on 23 July.

Businesses concerned about the strike

We have seen a slew of articles with businesses expressing concern about the impact of the strike. This goes to show that Waste and Cleansing workers are essential to the success of business and the health of our economy, as well as to the health, safety and wellbeing of communities across Scotland.

Businesses concerned about the impact of the strike should stand in solidarity with the workers to say to the Scottish Government “it is for you to resolve this—fund local authorities properly and give council workers a fair deal”.

Get strike ready!

Strikers, read this guide for when you’re on strike.

Colleagues, read this guide to when others are on strike.

Everyone, remember that this strike is

• across Scotland—as we see above
• caused by the Scottish Government underfunding councils for over a decade
• for the Scottish Government to fix by stepping in to provide funding
• a fight to save council services, end the recruitment and retention crisis and to appropriately reward council workers for the essential work they do.