Discontent can be avoided, says council leader

David O'Leary • Published 3 Sep 2010 09:30 0 Comments

COUNCIL leader David Parker believes a winter of discontent can be avoided.

Unions reacted angrily last week after the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) offered a revised, and reduced, three-year pay offer for council workers across the country.

And meetings are due take place between shop stewards and members over the next few weeks to see if industrial action should be taken.

Many political pundits are predicting widespread strikes from local authority workers in the months ahead - forcing schools to close, rubbish not being lifted and other frontline services hit badly.

But Scottish Borders Council leader, David Parker, believes a compromise can be found.

He said: “Councils in Scotland had no choice but to impose a pay deal due to the failure to reach any kind of agreement with union leaders.

“It was absolutely essential in the current difficult financial climate that we are able to bring certainty to local government finances by understanding what the increased pay bill would be.

“I do not expect significant industrial action or any major disruption to council services. Councils are happy to continue a dialogue with trade unions in the years ahead but there has to be some understanding that pay restraint is critical during these very difficult economic times.”

Scottish Borders Council will need to find £16 million of savings in the next financial year due to budgets being slashed at Westminster and Holyrood.

Other local authorities across the country are in a similar position.

Cosla initially tabled a pay offer earlier this year of a one per-cent increase followed by a freeze in 2011-12 and a 0.5 per cent increase the following year.

But they returned to the table last week with a reduced offer of 0.65 per cent rise for this year followed by two frozen wage years.

Gillian Mackay of Unite, who have around 900 members within Scottish Borders Council, is angry at the offer.

She said: “Our members in the Scottish Borders already know their jobs are under threat - they now find that the pay increase they were originally offered is taken away.

“We will be holding meetings with senior members in the next two weeks and then go to our members to see what action they wish to take.”

More than one third of Scottish Borders Council’s workforce of over 5,000 are members of the three unions - Unite, Unison and GMB - involved in the pay talks.

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This article appeared in Peeblesshire News 03 Sep 10

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