Glasgow's council workers could be set to see a rise in their wages after voting to accept a revised pay offer.
GMB Scotland says its members have today given them the green light to accept the deal put forward last month after they suspended plans for industrial action across a number of local authorities.
The union paused eight days of strikes in waste and cleansing to allow members to vote on the new terms.
The offer from COSLA, which represents Scotland's councils, will see a 3.6 per cent increase for all grades with a rise of £1,292 for the lowest paid, equivalent to 5.6 per cent.
Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in public services, described the offer as 'a significant improvement on what came before' when it was tabled last month for members to consider.
The Glasgow Times understands that both GMB and Unite this morning rubber-stamped the deal after receiving the result of their ballots, but that an agreement is still to be reached with Unison.
Union bosses say that Scotland’s council leaders have shown a lack of realism during months of needless drawn-out bartering.
Chris Mitchell, GMB's convener of cleansing, said: "Our members have been standing on picket lines on and off for three years to get to this point, and I'm glad we've reached an agreement at last.
"Our slogan now is 'don't delay, pay today'. Energy prices are going up in October and Christmas is just around the corner, so our members just want to see the agreement signed and the extra money in their October pay. People are realistic and realise there is only so much cash in the pot, we think the uplift people will see from this negotiation is fair - and we want to see that right away.
"For months, we have been forced to waste time discussing a series of low-ball offers when it was already clear the Scottish Government needed to be at the table. We are finally at a figure that is equitable and we are just glad to almost have this deal done."
Chair of UNISON Scotland’s local government committee, Colette Hunter, stated: “UNISON is by far the largest union in local government, and our members have overwhelmingly (86%) rejected Cosla’s pay offer. We have strike mandates in councils across Scotland. UNISON Scotland’s local government committee will be meeting in the coming days to determine our next steps.”
GMB members in Glasgow City Council's waste and recycling depots were due to begin an eight-day strike last month before bosses put it on ice as a 'gesture of goodwill'.
The action would also have involved councils in Aberdeenshire; Aberdeen City; East Ayrshire; City of Edinburgh; East Dunbartonshire; Falkirk; Fife; Glasgow; Highland; Inverclyde; Midlothian; North Lanarkshire; Orkney Islands; Perth & Kinross; Renfrewshire; South Lanarkshire; Stirling; and West Lothian.
COSLA have been approached for comment.
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