Unison has been accused of using striking Perthshire school support staff to boost the pay of well-paid council managers.
Schools in Perth and Kinross have been hit with two weeks of industrial action after Unison called school support staff including teaching assistants out on strike.
The strike was called despite Cosla, the body representing Scottish local authorities, agreeing to the pay demand put forward by all three trade unions representing council staff – Unison, Unite and GMB.
Unison, blaming more generous pay settlements for other public sector workers, was the only one to reject the offer of a pay rise of either 3.6% or 67p per hour, whichever is higher.
Rival unions say Perthshire strike could undermine future pay talks
But in an unusual move, insiders in rival unions have now accused Unison of attempting to use low-paid school support staff in a misguided attempt to force a better deal for local authority managers.
Sources in another local authority union told The Courier the action risks undermining future pay negotiations.
They said: “It could undermine future negotiations. Why would the employers and Cosla agree to our demands if the goal posts will be moved?”
They added: “There will be no reason to take any future ask seriously, especially if Unison go down the route of a national ballot as they suggested.”
“The strike is really about managers and other better paid officers earning £40,000 or more who make up Unison’s local government committee, not the staff who are struggling to make ends meet,” the insider, who has knowledge of the negotiations, said.
John Swinney ‘furious’ over targeted strike
Government insiders also share the view the strike is a way for the union to increase pay for middle management, not the lower paid workers on the front line – a position Unison firmly rejects.
Mr Swinney has already publicly criticised Unison’s strike.
But the Perthshire North MSP – whose son is caught up in the industrial action – is understood to be privately furious at the tactic.
An SNP government source characterised the strike as “bad politics” which no government leader would be able to accept.
“It doesn’t even make sense on its own terms,” the source added.
Pete Wishart: ‘You wouldn’t believe the anger in my inbox’
Targeting Perthshire families at every national disagreement would be unacceptable and ineffective, they said
Local MP Pete Wishart has also hit out at the targeted strike, saying it was counterproductive.
He told The Courier: “You would not believe the anger in my inbox at Unison for doing this, for politically targeting Perth and Kinross schools.
“I’ve never seen such anger directed at Unison.
“I don’t think it’s serving them well at all. I just don’t understand it. I just don’t get what their intention is. Everybody knows there’s no money left.”
As well as a demand for a reduction in work hours, Unison says it now wants a 7% increase or an additional £1.60 per hour, which is higher, for all council staff, including school support workers.
“This aims to address a long-standing 25% real-terms pay cut over the past 14 years,” a spokesperson said.
Unison has been contacted for a response.
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