Council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are edging towards a resolution in their pay dispute, while Scotland is on the brink of more strikes. The three big public sector unions – Unison, Unite and GMB – met with the employers and ACAS last week for the first time, to try and resolve the long-running dispute before Christmas. Unison head of local government, Heather Wakefield, said the union believed it had a strong case for a fairer deal for local government staff, and was hopeful for an early decision from ACAS. A progress report will be presented to a joint trade union meeting arranged for 3 November. In the meantime, local government workers will get a 2.45% interim pay rise before Christmas, which was agreed by employers earlier this month, to help with the rising cost of living. However, in Scotland all three unions are balloting their 200,000 members over COSLA's latest two-year pay offer, with a recommendation to reject it. Unison Scotland's regional organiser, Dougie Black, said: ‘It is clear from employers' statements that they are digging in for a major dispute, and we will be telling our members that increased and longer strike action will be needed.' But COSLA claimed its offer was ‘the best that can be afforded'. It comes against a backdrop of wider unrest in the public sector. Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) have announced a one-day strike on 10 November, and the National Union of Teachers is to ballot its members over pay. And Unite has pledged its NHS members will join a co-ordinated strike.
