SCHOOLS in one of Scotland’s biggest council areas are closed today as staff walk out of the job amid a bitter pay dispute.
Thousands of pupils in the First Minister John Swinney’s constituency of Perth and Kinross will miss lessons as non-teaching staff begin their strike action this morning.
3
3
Members of Unison, which includes janitors and class assistants, are undertaking the action over pay for all council workers.
This means 50 schools and early years centres are closed this morning – and could remain so for two weeks.
All secondary schools will be open except St John’s Academy in Perth and the Community School of Auchterarder.
The strikes were planned immediately after the two-week October holidays and are set to end on November 4.
Perth and Kinross Council said parents and guardians should refer to their website for updates on the situation which could change on a day-to-day basis.
The local authority said they were unable to conduct risk assessments in advance of the break so had to close the schools – but are assessing the situation daily.
This means students will not be in school for four weeks after the union rejected a national pay deal in August.
It was reported earlier this month that 86 per cent of members of the Perth and Kinross union branch turned down the latest pay offer.
The offer included either a 3.6 per cent pay rise, or an increase of £1,292 – whichever one was higher.
It was presented to workers across the council – including education staff and waste and recycling workers.
It was also offered to two other unions who operate at the council – GMB and Unite – who both accepted the offer.
As a result, other Scottish local authorities agreed to implement the pay deal elsewhere – with workers due to receive their pay rise and back-dated pay from April in the coming weeks.
However, Unison warned of a national strike ballot if their dispute was not resolved.
The union believes more needs to be done to address what it sees as the long-term decline value in council pay.
It argued that council workers have seen the value of their income decrease by 25 per cent over the last 14 years and they claim the local authority have struggled recruiting staff for roles.
Both the Scottish Government and COSLA, who represent the views of the local authorities, said there is no more money available for pay deals this year.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
Finance Secretary Shona Robison told BBC Scotland News: “No one’s interests will be served by industrial action which will disrupt children attending schools and nurseries”.
The councils added using any more money for pay would mean more cuts to services or job losses.
