Scottish Water staff strike for two days over pay dispute (updated)

By Democrat reporter

Strikes are taking place at under-fire Scottish Water this week after workers “overwhelmingly” rejected a pay offer.

Workers represented by GMB Scotland and Unison Scotland are striking on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of a rolling programme of industrial action threatening emergency repairs on water supply and sewage farms, testing and maintenance.

GMB Scotland organiser Claire Greer said the strikes are going ahead after the publicly-owned utility company failed to improve a pay offer which was “overwhelmingly rejected” by workers, while Unison Scotland organiser Emma Phillips said previous pay deals “haven’t kept up with inflation”.

Ms Greer said the company had revised the offer after joint talks with conciliation service Acas but “only made it worse”.

And she warned that industrial action will “escalate” unless a “fair and acceptable offer” is put forward, with plans for lengthier, more disruptive walkouts next month, along with other unions, expected to go ahead.

However, a spokesman for Scottish Water said the offer is “above inflation” and prioritises “the highest percentage increases in the business for those on the lowest salary grades”.

Ms Greer said: “The company has made these negotiations painfully complicated for no good reason.

“A revised offer received last week was shorter but clearly no better than the one already rejected and, for some workers, worse.

“Our priority remains reaching a resolution to this dispute but weeks of talks have managed to leave us behind where we started.

“The strikes will go on and action will escalate until our members are made a fair and acceptable pay offer.”

Workers backed industrial action after the water and sewerage company, whose executives received record bonuses last year, according to the union, reduced the terms of a pay offer that had already been rejected, according to GMB Scotland.

Workers voted against an offer of 3.4% or £1,400 covering the last nine months as the company changes the date for annual rises to take effect from July to April.

Scottish Water’s chief operating officer, Peter Farrer, said a meeting was held with Acas and unions on April 15 and the company “made a different, further improved proposal in an effort to reach an agreement” under which “some employees will receive around 5.5%”.

Unison Scotland regional organiser Emma Phillips said: “Strike action is always a last resort.

“Staff have suffered a decade of pay deals that haven’t kept up with inflation.

“They are not willing to be underpaid any longer.

“The union has done everything it can to try and get Scottish Water’s senior managers to put a fair offer on the table, but they are refusing to be reasonable.”

Unison Scottish Water branch secretary Tricia McArthur said: “Scottish Water workers are simply asking to be paid fairly for the essential services upon which everyone in Scotland relies.

“Things are meant to be different in a publicly-owned service like this.

“But senior managers are behaving no differently to those running private water companies south of the border.”

A Scottish Water spokesman said: “We are very disappointed that we have still not been able to reach an agreement with the trade unions.

“We would encourage them to restart meaningful negotiations as soon as possible and to recognise the need to agree on a sustainable pay award for our people.

“No-one benefits from industrial action and our focus is on continuing to deliver for our millions of customers across Scotland.

“Our above-inflation pay offer is fair and progressive, prioritising the highest percentage increases in the business for those on the lowest salary grades – money that should be in employees’ pockets now.

“We have improved the offer in an effort to reach an agreement with the trade unions and we are now offering a combined deal for 2024/25 and 2025/26. This is a strong offer which is above inflation and the public sector pay policy.”