Scottish Water strike forces board back to negotiations

by Malcolm Burns

A day of all out strike action in November by UNISON along with Unite and GMB has forced the board of Scottish Water into negotiations over the current pay dispute. Further planned strikes were put on hold while talks went ahead on Tuesday 9 December.

Union negotiators were looking for a new offer which could go out to members for consultation. More than a thousand UNISON members across the country undertook a 24 hour strike from Thursday 27 to Friday 28 November.

They were joined by members of Unite and GMB in the unprecedented and successful strike. Pickets were out at plants and premises throughout Scotland, including sites such as Balmore Road in Glasgow, Fairmilehead in Edinburgh, Dumfries, Dundee, Aberdeen and throughout the Highlands and Islands.

Members in all three unions had voted overwhelmingly to take joint industrial action after Scottish Water imposed a pay increase of 3% over 15 months, a deal worth only 2.4% over the year.

The board unilaterally imposed the below-inflation pay increase in September, effectively breaking a six-year partnership agreement in place with unions since Scottish Water was established in 2002. UNISON’s 1,100 members were infuriated by the board’s move and the level of the award at a time when inflation had reached more than 5%.

Members voted for strike action by 65% on a very high turnout in a ballot last month.

Steve Scott, Branch Secretary of UNISON’s Scottish Water Branch said: “Our members are not the cause of inflation, they are the victims of it. Scottish Water is a highly successful public corporation and can afford to pay more.”

UNISON has called on Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government to which the public corporation is answerable, to recognise the contribution of staff and reward its members with a fair and proper pay increase.

Dave Watson, Scottish Organiser, said: “In recent years our members have helped to save Scottish Water over £1 billion through reduced operating costs and improved efficiencies.

“Customers and directors have benefited, while workers have faced real terms pay cuts due to inflation. “Scottish Water has the money to make a reasonable pay deal - the problem is the Scottish Government is blocking them from doing so.”

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