School staff throughout Dundee and Fife have voted to strike in a row over pay.
Unite members in schools and early year support have rejected a 5.5% pay offer and will strike once schools return from the summer holidays.
This will include janitors, cleaners, caterers, classroom assistants and administrative staff.
Members of the union voted in favour of industrial action on Friday.
The announcement came after members of GMB Scotland also voted to reject the same pay offer earlier in August.
Union bosses demand better offer for members
Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “The message for both the Scottish Government and Cosla is loud and clear.
“Thousands of our members have voted to take strike action in education and early years services because they won’t accept a real terms pay cut.
“Our members deserve far more than the 5% being served up by the politicians.”
Unite says that the pay offer is a real-term wage cut and has demanded First Minister, Humza Yousaf, steps into the dispute.
Graham McNab, Unite industrial officer, added: “Unite’s members will no longer be taken for granted or undervalued across Scottish councils.
“A 5% pay offer when the broader cost of living remains in double digits is a harsh real terms pay cut no matter how much spin Cosla and the Scottish Government try to put on it.
“The politicians have the power to prevent any industrial action hitting schools and early years services.
“The real question for them is – do they want to play politics with each other at the expense of council workers, or pay our members what they deserve?”
The strike will affect eight other Scottish local authorities.
Pay offer to teachers ‘strong’ says Cosla
Cosla says council leaders put a “strong” offer to the workforce that recognises the cost-of-living pressures.
A spokesperson said: “While the offer value in year is 5.5%, the average uplift on salaries going into the next financial year is 7%.
“Those on the Scottish Local Government living wage would get 9.12% and those at higher grades, where councils are experiencing severe recruitment challenges, would see 6.05%.
“It is an offer which recognises both the vital role of the people who deliver our essential services across councils every day and the value that we, as employers, place on them.
“Crucially, it also raises the Scottish Local Government living wage by 99p to £11.84 per hour.
“It also sets out a commitment to work with our trade unions to develop a road map to £15 per hour in a way that protects our workforce and services we deliver.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Local government pay negotiations are a matter for local authorities as employers and unions.
“The Scottish Government and Cosla have committed to respect this negotiating arrangement as part of the Verity House Agreement.
“Despite UK Government cuts, the Scottish Government has provided a further £155 million to support a meaningful pay rise for local government workers, which has been taken into account in the pay offer already made by Cosla.
“The Scottish Government urges all the parties involved to work together constructively and reach an agreement which is fair for the workforce and affordable for employers.”
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