Schools and nurseries in Perth and Kinross could close for two weeks due to strikes.
Industrial action from Unison will see school staff walk out on Monday October 21 due to a row over pay.
The union says focusing the action on First Minister John Swinney’s constituency will emphasise the importance of finding a “fair settlement” to end the dispute.
Mr Swinney has said he is “deeply disappointed” by the move.
Unison says council workers across Scotland are angry their pay offer from negotiator Cosla is not in line with other public service workers – many of which have been offered a 5.5% rise.
It comes after members rejected an hourly increase of 67p or 3.6% – whichever is higher.
Local government staff ‘forced to strike’ for fair pay
The strikes will start straight after the October holidays, meaning schools could be shut for a month.
Unison Perth and Kinross branch secretary Stuart Hope said: “Taking action like this is the last thing school and early years staff want to do.
“Employees are taking this first stand on behalf of all local government workers because they’ve seen a decade of pay cuts and they see other sectors being offered deals of greater value.
“A fair pay deal should have been in place from April 1, but six months later it’s still not been agreed.
“Instead, the employer has imposed a wage rise rejected by a majority of the workers Unison represents.”
“John Swinney is invited to join one of the picket lines to hear how undervalued council staff in his constituency feel.”
John Swinney ‘deeply disappointed’ by strike
Mr Swinney said: “Local Government has put forward an offer that clearly meets the terms of what all three trade unions asked for.
“Two of those unions, Unite and GMB, agree, and their members have now overwhelmingly voted to accept the pay deal.
“It is therefore deeply unfair that the pupils and parents of Perthshire North are to be targeted by strike action, when what was asked for by the unions had been delivered.
“I am deeply disappointed this is happening.”
Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser said: “This is a very concerning move which is obviously targeting Perth and Kinross because it is in the First Minister’s constituency.
“It will understandably be met with a furious reaction by parents in Perth and Kinross.
“It is incumbent on the Scottish Government to engage in talks with Unison in a bid to prevent the strikes taking place.”
Unison also has a schools and nurseries mandate in Angus, but a spokesperson said that at this stage it will only be staff in Perth and Kinross striking.
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: “We have received notification from Unison about intended industrial action by non-teaching staff in our schools as part of a national dispute over pay.
“We are currently assessing how this will impact our schools.
“Our intention is to minimise the impact on our children, parents and carers as much as possible and will be issuing further information as soon as possible.”
Cosla resources spokesperson, Councillor Katie Hagmann, said: “The offer is worth 4.27% across the workforce and is aligned to the pay award for teaching staff.
“It is at the absolute limit of affordability in the extremely challenging financial – there is no further funding available to increase the value of the offer.
“We urge Unison to reconsider the strong offer, which was accepted by both GMB and Unite.
“We will continue dialogue with all our trade union partners, with the ambition to reach a collective agreement, if at all possible.”
Conversation