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Unison to suspend school and waste strikes after fresh pay offer Unions call off Scottish school and bin strikes
(32 minutes later)
Refuse workers have already been on strike in many parts of Scotland The first wave of strikes by refuse workers last month left bins overflowing in several Scottish cities
Unison has called off strikes next week after a new offer was made to Scottish council workers in a dispute over pay. Strikes that had been due to close hundreds of schools and leave bins unemptied across Scotland next week have been called off.
BBC Scotland understands the new offer will mean a bigger pay rise for most staff instead of special cost of living payments this year and next. A new offer will mean a 10% pay rise for the lowest paid staff instead of special cost of living payments this year and next.
GMB and Unite are discussing the details of the offer put forward by Cosla, the local government umbrella organisation. Non-teaching school staff in 11 council areas had been due to go on strike for three days next week.
The unions had earlier said they were hopeful a deal could be agreed. Refuse workers had also been due to begin a fresh round of strikes.
Council body Cosla said it hoped the new pay offer, which was made after an 11-hour meeting on Thursday hosted by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, would mean next week's strikes would be suspended. The Unison, GMB and Unite unions all said they had suspended their industrial action while they consult their members on the pay new offer, and that they were recommending the deal is accepted.
Unison - which represents thousands of non-teaching staff in schools and early years centres as well as refuse workers - has called off industrial action while it consults members on the new pay offer. It follows an 11-hour meeting between unions and council leaders that was hosted by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in Edinburgh on Thursday.
Which schools are closed and when during strikes? The latest headlines from Scotland
When are the next bin strikes planned? Read more stories on Scottish politics
Government 'cannot offer' more money to end strikes The unions had rejected an increased pay offer earlier this week.
Non-teaching school staff are due to strike for three days next week, which would close hundreds of schools and early years centres in 11 local authority areas. Cosla said at the time it was disappointed that the unions had turned down a deal that was at the "absolute extremes" of affordability, while Ms Sturgeon warned there was no "bottomless pit" of money to pay for an improved offer
Refuse workers have already held strikes in many parts of Scotland, with a week of further action scheduled to start next week. The new deal includes:
An increase of £2,000 for those earning up to £20,500
An increase of £1,925 for those earning between £20,500 to £39,000
A 5% increase for those earning between £39,000 to £60,000
A maximum increase of £3,000 for those earning above £60,000
The removal of social care registration fees
One extra day of annual leave
All increases will be based on a 36 hour week calculator
Councillor Katie Hagmann, Cosla's human resources spokeswoman, said the revised offer showed that councils had "listened to the concerns of our workforce and have responded positively".Councillor Katie Hagmann, Cosla's human resources spokeswoman, said the revised offer showed that councils had "listened to the concerns of our workforce and have responded positively".
She added: "Council leaders have said consistently throughout these negotiations that we very much value and are grateful to the local government workforce."She added: "Council leaders have said consistently throughout these negotiations that we very much value and are grateful to the local government workforce."
Nicola Sturgeon intervened in the pay dispute between unions and Cosla Scottish Labour's local government spokesman Mark Griffin said it was "simply not good enough that it took weeks of industrial action to embarrass the SNP government into action".
Following the meeting at St Andrews House with the first minister on Thursday, the Scottish government encouraged unions and councils to "continue to seek a fair and sustainable settlement". Bin strikes began in Edinburgh on 18 August after unions rejected an initial pay offer equivalent to a 3.5% increase.
Unite, the GMB and Unison had rejected an increased pay offer earlier this week. The action escalated last week when workers at a further 20 local authorities walked out despite a revised 5% offer.
Cosla said at the time it was disappointed that unions had turned down a deal that was at the "absolute extremes" of affordability, while Ms Sturgeon warned there was no "bottomless pit" of money to pay for an improved offer. 'Not a perfect offer'
The bin strikes began in Edinburgh on 18 August after unions rejected an initial pay offer equivalent to a 3.5% increase. Unison said 80% of their members would now get pay rises of between 5% and 10%, which it described as a victory.
The action then escalated last week when workers at a further 20 local authorities walked out despite a revised 5% offer. Johanna Baxter, the union's head of local government, said: "It is only through the collective action of our members in school and early years staff threatening strike action and our waste and recycling workers taking action that we have forced these extra funds out of government and the employer."
This walkout ended on Thursday, with a second wave of strikes due to begin. A GMB Scotland spokesman said the new offer was a "significant amount of consolidated money" for workers including the "frontline refuse and school staff that everyone depends on".
The Scottish government has given an additional £140m to councils to help fund a pay deal for council staff. Keir Greenaway, the union's senior organiser for public services, said: "It is not a perfect offer but it is the view of GMB Scotland's local government committee that it's worthy of members consultation and their acceptance, but ultimately our members whose campaigning and strike actions have improved these terms will have the final say."
It has also offered a further £200m over two years to provide the cost-of-living payments to workers earning below £39,000. Unite said it now had a "credible offer which our local government representatives can recommend to the membership for acceptance."
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said at that time there was no more money for further pay increases as government finances were "finite".
Teachers consider strike
Meanwhile, Scotland's largest teaching union is now balloting its members in a separate dispute over pay.
The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) is recommending that its members reject the current 5% pay offer from local authorities and vote in favour of potential strike action.
It said that the 10% pay claim submitted by teaching unions was "extremely measured, thoroughly evidence-based and unequivocally deserved".
The NASUWT teachers' union has said it will reject Cosla's pay offer following a snapshot survey if its members.