Council workers in Unite union vote to reject COSLA pay deal

Unite balloon - Image credit: Dun.can via Flickr

Unite members have voted to reject the revised pay offer put to them by COSLA, the trade union has announced.

Councils employees in the trade union voted by 55 per cent to 45 per cent to reject the pay deal.

Earlier this month Unite recommended that its members reject the revised offer of a 3.5 per cent pay rise in 2018, three per cent in 2019 and three per cent in 2020.

The union was unhappy the deal did not include a ‘trigger clause’ which would allow for the re-opening of the three year pay offer if Brexit causes inflation to rise.

It also said the revised pay offer would not restore council workers to the levels of real-terms pay they had ten years ago.

Unite representatives will now hold a meeting to discuss the next stage in the process, which the union warned could result in strike action. 

Unite industrial officer Wendy Dunsmore said: “This result is clear indication that our members remain unhappy with COSLA’s offer.

“Our members have suffered pay freezes followed by real terms cuts for far too long.

“This has impacted most on the lowest paid workers across the councils. COSLA will need to dig a bit deeper if we are to avoid industrial action.”

A separate ballot for Unite craft members, such as electricians and joiners, working for councils will close on 4 February.