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Tayside and Fife school and bin strikes OFF after new pay offer

Bin workers on the picket line at Baldovie, Dundee.
Bin workers on the picket line at Baldovie, Dundee.

Strikes planned for schools and bins across Tayside and Fife next week have been called off after a new pay deal was put to workers.

Three trade unions – Unite, GMB and Unison – have confirmed their members will no longer take part in industrial action as they consider the terms of the offer.

The bodies are recommending their members accept the offer from Cosla – which has been negotiating on behalf of Scottish councils.

Dundee City Council had planned to close all schools and nurseries between Wednesday and Friday next week due to the strike, with Perth and Kinross Council planning to close Perth Academy and Fairview School.

Overflowing bins in Dundee during the first wave of strike action.

Meanwhile bin workers had planned a second wave of strike action in Dundee, Perth and Kinross, Angus and – for the first time – Fife.

Schools in Dundee and Perth and Kinross will now open as planned.

Most bin collections will also go ahead as normal in Tayside and Fife though there remains some disruption in Dundee.

Details of new pay offer revealed

The offer – which comes after union members met with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Thursday – would provide an additional £2,000 for council workers earning less than £20,500.

Workers earning between £20,500 and £39,000 will also receive a £1,925 pay increase if the deal is accepted.

The pay increase would be backdated to April.

Dundee schools like Grove Academy are now expected to remain open next week.

Councillor John Alexander, leader of Dundee City Council, says the proposed deal comes after weeks of “frank negotiations”.

He said: “This will be a huge relief for everyone with a child at school, including myself, in the knowledge that they don’t need to make alternative arrangements.

“It’ll also be warmly welcomed by citizens and business, who can breath a sigh of relief that the city’s bins will continue to be emptied.

Nicola Sturgeon stepped in to pay negotiations

“I’ve been lending my voice, for weeks now, through Cosla to get to a position where we had a deal that recognised the hard work or staff and the realities of council finances. I think this deal does that.”

Unite says it acknowledges Ms Sturgeon’s “direct involvement as a primary reason for the breakthrough”.

Wendy Dunsmore, the union’s lead negotiator for local government, said: “It provides a degree of security for the lowest paid with a flat rate offer of £2,000 which is an uplift worth around 10% to 11%.

“We now have a credible offer which our local government representatives can recommend to the membership for acceptance.”

Unison and GMB Scotland members are also being urged to accept the deal.

Striking bin workers in Dundee last week.

Keir Greenaway from GMB Scotland said: “In the meantime, we have agreed to suspend all planned strike action so this consultation process can take place and our GMB organisers and workplace reps will be visiting as many workplaces as possible to engage our members on this.”

Councillor Katie Hagmann, Cosla’s resources spokesperson, said: “The revised offer made shows that Scotland’s council leaders have listened to the concerns of our workforce and have responded positively.”

Conversation