Industrial Relations

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By Jamie McIvorBBC Scotland correspondent

Council leaders will decide later whether to impose a controversial pay offer at the centre of strikes which are causing school closures.

The dispute over pay has already seen strikes shut schools in four council areas with further industrial action planned by Unison throughout November.

The Unite and GMB trade unions voted to accept the revised pay offer for support Staff .

But Unison rejected the offer, arguing that a better deal is possible.

Unison said " imposing" the pay offer its members rejected would intensify the dispute.

But both the GMB and Unite have said their members want to get their money quickly.

Council body Cosla has argued that a bigger pay rise is unaffordable.

The pay offer on The Table would see the lowest paid council Staff get a rise of around £2,000 while others would get a rise of at least 5. 5%.

Staff should have got their annual pay rise in April, but it was delayed because No Agreement was reached.

A meeting of council leaders from across Scotland will decide what to do later.

If they decide to go ahead with the pay rise, Staff should get the increase together with several months' worth of backpay In Time for Christmas.

But it risks escalating the dispute with Unison .

Unison Scotland head of local government Johanna Baxter said: " Unison are by far the largest union in this dispute, we represent over 91,000 local government workers who have overwhelmingly rejected Cosla's pay offer.

" Imposing a pay offer that has been rejected will lead to an escalation of action and a breakdown in relations - Cosla need to work with Unison to find a solution to this dispute as a matter of urgency. "

Unison members in schools and nurseries - including janitors and catering Staff - have been involved in strike action since September.

A three-day strike in September in 24 council areas led to widespread school closures.

This Week a rolling programme of One Day regional strikes got under way, closing schools in Glasgow and three neighbouring areas.

A further one-day strike will take place in South Lanarkshire , Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh and Fife Next Wednesday .

Unison Staff in Dundee City, Stirling, Clackmannanshire, Angus and Perth and Kinross are then set to walk out on 15 November.

If Unison escalates the dispute, it may intensify the programme of strike action and ballot other council Staff such as refuse collectors to see if they will Go On strike too.

But the pay offer won the support of GMB and Unite members who called off planned strikes.

Waiting for pay rise

In a letter to council leaders sent ahead of The Meeting , Unite and the GMB, say any delay to the pay rise would hit the lowest paid.

It says: " Our collective members have voted to accept the offer and therefore our members expect to be paid the offer they have accepted.

" It is damaging for Industrial Relations and the morale of the workforce to consistently wait months, year in and year out, for pay to be concluded.

" If council leaders make a decision that would drag payment of this year's pay rise into next year, they would put those on the lowest pay in continued financial stress and erode trust. "

The Letter makes The Point that any further delay would place the lowest paid under further financial strain.

The two unions also stress that they respect The Right of Unison - which is described in The Letter as a " sister union" - to reject it.

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Source of news: bbc.com