Date: Thursday 19 March 2009

Striking UNISON community service supervisors lobby Glasgow City Council

UNISON’s Community Service Supervisors in Glasgow are to lobby the City Council tomorrow (Friday 20 March) to seek a resolution to their ten week long strike.

The UNISON members have been on strike since 6 January, following the refusal of Glasgow City Council to pay them the right rate for the job. The union believes that councillors have been sitting on their hands while offenders who should be doing supervised Community Services as an alternative to prison have been sitting at home.

Brian Smith, UNISON’s Glasgow City branch secretary said: “After ten weeks of strike our members remain solid. The Council should recognise the justice of our members’ claim, and their determination to achieve a fair wage and resist pay cuts. There have been no community service squads in Glasgow this year. The people of Glasgow are entitled to ask why the Council is allowing those sentenced to community service to sit in the house. The Council must make a serious effort to address the issues at the heart of the dispute”.

The lobby will take place on Friday 20 March at 12.30pm, at Glasgow City Chambers.

ENDS

Note for editors: The 21 Community Service Supervisors in Glasgow oversee offenders working in the community. The City Council’s refusal to settle the strike has meant that this important alternative to prison in Glasgow has been suspended since the strike began on 6 January 2009.

For Further Information Please Contact: Brian Smith (Branch secretary) 07870 914361 (m) 552 7069 (branch office) Chris Bartter (Communications Officer) 0771 558 3729(m)

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