Scottish Water staff are preparing to vote on industrial action following the collapse of pay negotiations. GMB Scotland said its members will be balloted next week after a 3.4 per cent was “overwhelmingly rejected”.
The union has accused the water company of “misrepresenting the terms of the offer” and “risking the trust” of its employees. A spokesperson for Scottish Water countered that an increased offer had not been presented to staff by the unions and said ballotting members as “premature”.
The company also disputed GMB Scotland’s figures, stating that the offer to employees was actually a 3.95 per cent increase, not 3.4 per cent. The three-week ballot will start Monday January 27. Claire Greer, GMB Scotland organiser, expressed her disappointment at being embroiled in another dispute with management so soon after the last one.
She stated: “We had hoped the company had understood the need for trust and transparency in industrial relations. Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case.
“The offer made to our members is too low and it is no surprise that it has been so overwhelmingly rejected. However, it is also disappointing that Scottish Water’s communications with staff misrepresent the offer on the table and seem designed to mislead.”
A spokesperson for Scottish Water said: “Our proposal for an annual pay award for 2024-25 builds on the uplift and significant improvement to terms and conditions agreed last year with the trade unions. We are disappointed that the unions have not put our increased offer to their members and believe that balloting for industrial action is premature. We encourage the unions to engage with us.”
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