Glasgow’s GMB members are ‘getting ready’ for the possibility of strike action after a meeting with COSLA over new pay demands for low paid workers.

The three Scottish Join Council (SJC) trade unions met with the national association to discuss this year’s pay claim and for an agreement to be reached as quickly as possible – ideally before April 1.

The GMB previously confirmed it would be looking for an extra £1.50 an hour for each of its members. 

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Glasgow convenor Chris Mitchell has been visiting the city’s cleansing depots this week and says his members are not afraid to take industrial action if the claim is not resolved in the next couple of months. 

He said: "The trade unions met with COSLA yesterday and told them exactly what we were looking for, which from the GMB point of view is an extra £1.50 an hour for low paid workers.

"We want these pay claims to be implicated by April 1 but COSLA will need to go and speak to council leaders.

"We made it clear that we are quite willing to campaign for more money and go to the Scottish Government and ask them to give each council more money.

"COSLA says they will get back to us by the end of February with a potential offer but we have been going round the cleansing depots to see which of our members would be willing to take industrial action.

"Nothing has been decided yet which section is going into a pay dispute but we are all getting ready."

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Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in public services, said last year’s pay negotiations were needlessly protracted and called for far greater urgency.

The union’s pay claim calls for councils to pay interest on backdated settlements to encourage swifter negotiations and decision-making.

After the meeting, Mr Greenaway said: "We detailed our pay claim and made it clear to Cosla exactly what our members’ priorities are, which include reaching agreement on a fair pay deal as quickly as possible.

"Cosla now knows exactly what our members expect and we would hope for that to be taken on board and allow the start of meaningful negotiations as quickly as possible.

"The councils are under no illusion that they will need to find the money for an acceptable pay rise or join with us to seek that extra funding required from the Scottish Government.

"Inaction is not an option. Months of needless delay will not be acceptable."

A COSLA Spokesperson said:  "COSLA has now received pay claims from all three Scottish Join Council (SJC) trade unions. 

"A constructive SJC Steering Group meeting was held yesterday to understand further the key pay elements of each claim. COSLA Leaders will consider the claims at their meeting on 23rd February."