91Èȱ¬

Councils are facing the threat of a third pay strike in three years.

Two of the main council unions – Unite and the GMB – are to ballot members on strike action.

The unions say they have no alternative as they have yet to receive a pay offer from Cosla, while the other major council union, Unison, is expected to decide on plans on Thursday.

Cosla stated it is "very close" to making an offer to the unions.

Council staff should have received their annual pay rise in April.

Unison, Unite and the GMB had hoped to receive a formal pay offer from council body Cosla by 17:00 on Wednesday but did not, and they are anticipating an offer below their aspirations.

91Èȱ¬ Scotland News understands unions have been told the best councils can afford would be a rise worth 2% or 39p an hour – whichever is the greater.

They consider this unacceptable as it is below both the current rate of inflation and the overall rise in the cost of living since last April.

It is understood Cosla has suggested a bigger offer may be possible if it is linked to other employment matters.

A formal offer is likely to be made by next week.

Unite industrial officer Graham McNab said that Cosla's leadership had "failed in their duty" to make a pay offer.

He added: "It really is a case of history repeating itself with Cosla. There isn’t even an offer on the table for our local government membership to consider.

"Unite has no choice but to initiate an industrial action ballot process which will, in the end, force Cosla into making a credible pay offer.

"It really is a sorry state of affairs and the pay negotiation process has clearly demonstrated that is not fit for purpose.

"Let’s also be clear that the Scottish government are equally to blame for this unacceptable situation."

A Cosla spokesperson said the body was "working hard" at having a dialogue with unions and that Cosla was "doing all that we can to get the best possible offer on the table."

They added: "It is important to reiterate that this is against the context of a flat cash settlement from Scottish government, which leaves very little room to manoeuvre without service reductions and job losses which we want to avoid at all costs."

The GMB said it had informed council leaders that it intended to ballot their members working in social care on striking.

The pay offer, however, would affect virtually all council employees other than teachers.

The biggest council union Unison is likely to decide whether to ballot members on Thursday.

Pay is negotiated at a national level between Cosla and the main unions and any pay offer has to be affordable to all 32 councils.

Council staff in many parts of Scotland went on strike in 2022 and 2023 over pay.

In 2022, action led to rubbish piling up in the centre of Edinburgh during the festival while last year there were widespread school closures because janitors were on strike.

Both disputes were only resolved after the Scottish government provided more money for councils.