Angus Council staff could stage mass walkouts this summer if they decide to take strike action over a 3% pay offer while councillors are in line for a huge wage hike.
Local government union Unison says it will quiz members nationally on whether they want to consider a ballot on industrial action around what it has branded a “derisory” pay deal.
It comes after it emerged elected members in Angus are set for an increase of almost 20%.
A 17% rise for council leader Bill Duff will take his salary to just over £50,000.
In total, the wage bill for all 28 Angus councillors will be £816,513 this year.
The increases were set by the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee (SLARC).
A report detailing the rises will be presented to a full meeting of the council on Thursday.
But a local union leader says elected members should consider declining the double-digit increase.
3% staff offer branded ‘derisory’
Unison Angus branch secretary Chris Boyle said the councillors’ salary hike comes as 80,000 council workers across Scotland are being consulted over the 3% pay offer.
Staff have been asked whether they want to move towards a formal industrial action ballot.
It is the first step towards a strike and if workers back the move there could be mass walkouts before the summer, Mr Boyle said.
“The local government employer body Cosla had offered all council workers a 3% pay increase for the coming year,” he said.
“But set against this is a huge 11% increase in Angus council tax, a 5.2% rise in council rents, an energy price cap increase of 6.4% and inflation is growing again.
“The 3% offer is effectively a pay cut for our members.
“We would question why our members should shoulder the burden of cuts to council funding.
“It’s not their fault, and it’s not the fault of the communities to which they provide services.
Councillors urged to ‘consider position’
‘Yet we now read that our elected members will note a report updating their remuneration following an independent review of councillor pay by the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee.
“We understand that the council is legally obliged to pay the increases,” he said.
“But alongside that, we’ve been told there’s nothing our councillors can do to support and campaign for a decent pay rise for our members and that there’s nothing in the pot for a better increase for council workers.
“Yet we find ourselves in a situation where elected members can simply note a report giving themselves a rise nearly six times what is considered to be acceptable for the council’s own employees.
“The leader of the council, who himself will also get a 17% rise, attends Cosla meetings where the pay claim is discussed so any notion that there is no influence to bear is somewhat wide of the mark.”
“I hope that our elected members will reflect on this situation before Thursday and consider their position,” added Mr Boyle.
“We fail to understand how the rise can pass through full council with a simple nod from councillors without comment or action when the cost of living is rapidly increasing for council staff and the constituents councillors were elected to serve.
“We’d hope that they would be united in standing alongside their workers and residents, listening to their concerns around the cost of living crisis, cuts to services and pushing for an improved offer for staff.
“No council employees will be receiving an increase anywhere near this.
“We would suggest that councillors should not be accepting a rise which would be any greater than that received by employees.”
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