A procession involving school support staff took place in Paisley town centre yesterday as part of strike action in an ongoing dispute over pay.
Members of Unison working as pupil support assistants, catering staff, cleaners and school janitors are staging a three-day strike across 24 council areas over a pay deal that the union's Scottish secretary Lilian Macer dubbed "too little, too late and too vague" on Tuesday.
Yesterday's procession began at Country Square in Paisley and travelled through the town centre to reach Renfrewshire House, the council's headquarters in Cotton Street, for a rally.
Unison has a mandate to strike across 24 council areas on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week, which has seen schools and most nurseries in Renfrewshire closed to pupils.
GMB Scotland and Unite have suspended strikes while they consider the latest offer from council umbrella body Cosla.
However, Ms Macer said Unison were looking for an offer that is "significantly above what has been offered."
She added: "We are seeking the Scottish Government to come round the table with Cosla, with Unison, to negotiate a fair pay settlement for local government workers in Scotland."
Mark Ferguson, chair of Unison Scotland’s local government committee, said: "The offer is still below the rate of inflation meaning that local government workers are being asked to take a real-terms pay cut during a cost-of-living crisis."
A spokesperson for Cosla said: "This is a very strong offer that equates to 10% or £2,006 for the lowest paid at the request of the trade unions.
"Throughout these negotiations we have met every request of our trade union colleagues."
Scotland’s Deputy First Minister, Shona Robison, said pay negotiations were a matter for local government employers and unions and that the Scottish Government would "encourage" those involved to continue negotiations in the hope that a resolution could be found.
She said: "We have worked constructively in partnership with Cosla and councils to find a solution, facilitated by an additional £80 million of funding and flexibility from the Scottish Government.
"We have ensured there will be no detrimental impact on jobs or services as a result of this additional funding.
"Despite UK Government cuts, the Scottish Government had already provided £155 million in 2023-24 to support a meaningful pay rise for local government workers, and provided assurances over funding in 2024-25."
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