Scottish Water strike threat despite pay agreement
19 Sep 2011
London — Industrial action can not be ruled out at Scottish Water later in the year if changes to Scottish local government pension schemes go ahead according to the GMB trade union.
The warning came despite GMB members at Scottish Water voting in favour of a revised pay offer, thereby averting the treat of industrial action over pay.
While most of the workforce will see their pay frozen this year, the GMB said it now has undertakings that a pay progression mechanism will be negotiated by the end of 2011.
Moreove, it said, front line staff working over Christmas and New Year will receive an improved payment this year. The union added that is had also received an assurance that compulsory redundancies would be avoided at all costs.
“Progress in these areas was enough to secure a three to one vote to accept the revised offer. In addition £250 will be awarded immediately to 650 workers whose salaries are below £21,000, and no Scottish Water employee will now earn less than the Scottish Living Wage of £7.15 per hour,” said Richard Leonard, GMB organiser at Scottish Water.
“Unless there is a positive move by the Scottish Government to safeguard Scottish Local Government Pension rights in the weeks ahead then we may be left with no choice but to ballot GMB members at Scottish Water along with other workers in the public sector as part of our campaign to resist the raid of our pensions.,” added Leonard.
