A Government spokeswoman said: “Pay settlements for council workers, excluding teachers, are a matter for Cosla and are determined through negotiations at the Scottish Joint Committee (SJC).
“As it is not a member of the SJC, the Scottish Government cannot intervene in pay negotiations, which are for the trade unions to negotiate with Cosla.”
Since 2008 council workers have seen their income fall year on year, they have picked up the cuts in salary to the extent that many rely on benefits to survive yet the narrative remains that they are well paid, have golden handshake pensions, and are the problem in these so called times of austerity. It’s only austerity for those at the bottom, certainly not for those at the top, or our elected politicians. While council workers across Scotland have been offered a paltry and disgusting 2%, an effective 6% pay cut yet again when you take into account inflation, MSPs at Holyrood saw their salaries rise by 3.4%. Below standard and mostly incompetent yet earning way above the national average in Scotland.
The SNP Scottish Government are afraid to tax the wealthy, afraid to bring on local taxation reform, afraid to challenge big business so remain happy to fund public services on the backs of the poor basically and while the Scottish Child Payment is something it does nothing to ease the plight of low paid council workers who don’t qualify for benefits but who are expected to look after the most vulnerable while they themselves in too many cases now access foodbanks, and have to decide when to eat and what to eat.
Strikes are inevitable this year, no one likes to strike, however I will vote for strike action because it is not just about pay it is also about the kind of society we want. The UK, and Scotland, are the playground of the wealthy, of established interests. There is money for war, for weapons, for a jubilee for a family who in the main deserve nothing more than being consigned to history but there is no money to pay council workers a fair salary for the vital work that they do, it is not good enough. If this is what potential independence looks like under the SNP then why would anyone want any part of it when all council workers efforts need to go on how to survive.
grumpyscottishman.wordpress.com 
For any group participating in society or the economy there has to be a basic level of fairness. Without the ability to withhold their labour, people who work, regardless of their income are little better than indentured servants.
The Scottish Government is abdicating it’s responsibility to the country if it allows one group to run away with the ball.
Stuart
I agree, I don’t know anyone who wants to strike but what choice is there after years of austerity for council staff. I’ve basically had pay cuts since at least 2010 and esp when you take in inflation. We see posts not being filled and services going while more and more work is placed in those who are left and some of them now go to food banks. For the Scottish Government to deny their role is a tostada cop out and cowardly, they are just the tartan Tories now.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
I agree, grumpy, Brexit, then the pandemic have made this a foreseeable event. People on low incomes, and many on the railways are in low-paid jobs, really are struggling now. I think it will get worse as more and more workers start to sink below the level where they can feed their families and pay the bills. Meanwhile, billions are being siphoned off into off-shore tax havens and co-operative banks by those who already have more than enough to make their lives comfortable. The selfish and greedy are destroying the planet even as they divest working people of their livelihoods.
Lorncal
The SNP are as beholding to the elite and big business as all of the other parties are now. We don’t really have one party that will stand up for the poor now, they use poverty benefits to subsidise poor wages from companies already taking in huge profits so the tax payer pays out. Even the energy £400 is basically another tax payer subsidy to the energy companies already making huge profit, it is a joke. We need a revolution all over the world now because we are all just becoming slaves to the 1% and the SNP just play the same game.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce