John Swinney’s Government has been accused of using public sector workers as “human shields” to push through deep spending cuts.
The GMB trade union’s Louise Gilmour said SNP Ministers were “scapegoating” staff by saying savings are needed to fund pay deals.
The Government has boasted about fewer strikes taking place in key public services compared to south of the border.
But Finance Secretary Shona Robison is struggling to balance the books and is expected to make up to £600m of cuts on Tuesday..
The SNP Government has blamed Keir Starmer for putting pressure on their budget as they try to pay public sector staff higher wages
But Gilmour is incensed at the linkage and claimed Robison announced cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment for older people hours after putting more cash on the table for council workers.
She said the timing was” deliberate and offensive”, adding:
“The clear implication is that ministers need to sacrifice public services to give frontline workers a fair pay rise.
“It is a false choice, an easy excuse, and a cheap trick to scapegoat workers delivering the services that keep Scotland running.
“Government is about choices and priorities and, for some time now, ministers in Scotland could and should have chosen to better protect services.
She added: “Ministers here can continue to blame various UK Tory governments for austerity but there is enough blame to go around.
“More could and should have been done to protect Scotland’s public sector but other choices and other spending commitments were made instead.
“The new Labour government has an excuse but SNP ministers chose to freeze council tax, for example, while local authorities were losing staff and cutting services.
“That was a choice and to suggest a pay offer to public sector workers means more cuts are unavoidable misrepresents what is going on now and what came before it.”
She said the SNP Government is using frontline workers as “human shields” as they prepare for “savage spending cuts”.
Robison’s cuts plan will be one of John Swinney’s toughest days in office since he became First Minister.
Cuts already announced include scrapping free bus travel for asylum seekers and reintroducing peak rail fares for passengers.
Cash to protect nature has been cut while the policy on free iPads for people facing digital exclusion has been paused.
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