AN IMPROVED pay offer has been made towards waste, recycling and street cleaning staff in Clackmannanshire after strike action was threatened.

As reported by the Advertiser, trade union Unison had balloted members in the waste department, with 14 local authority areas voting to take industrial action after a pay offer was rejected.

Cosla made the pay offer, a two-stage offer worth 2.2 per cent over the first six months and then followed by an additional two per cent for the next 12 months.

Clacks was one of the areas that had voted to take industrial action, but now Cosla have come back with an improved pay offer.

This offer is worth 3.2 per cent on all spin column points at Clackmannanshire Council, which Cosla say is a “strong, pay and credible pay offer, reflecting the high value council leaders place on the local government workers and the invaluable work they do serving communities across Scotland".

As part of the negotiations, Cosla have requested that Unison and other trade unions suspend plans for strike action while the offer is considered.

Councillor Katie Hagmann, resources spokesperson for Cosla, said: “Following ongoing and constructive engagement with our Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Trade Unions, Cosla has today (July 18) written formally to the trade unions with a revised pay offer for the SJC Local Government work force.

“This is for a 3.2 per cent pay uplift at all pay points, for a one-year period of April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025, in line with the current SJC pay year.

“After listening to our trade union colleagues, the offer does not propose a change in the pay settlement date, which featured in our earlier offer.

“It is important to stress that this revised, fair offer is at the absolute limit of affordability for councils, given the severe financial constraints local government is facing.”

READ MORE: Waste workers in Clacks to strike over pay offer

During the Unison ballot, Clacks was one of 14 local authorities which voted to take industrial action over waste pay.

Other areas included Fife, Stirling, West Lothian and Glasgow City which had also voted for strikes.

Industrial action across the waste, recycling and street cleaning workforce could see rubbish piling up across the streets, which Cosla would be keen to avoid.

Katie continued: “This strong offer is worth more than the first year of the Scottish Government’s current public sector pay policy.

“It is a strong, fair and credible pay offer, reflecting the high value council leaders place on the local government workforce and the invaluable work they do every day serving communities across Scotland.

“We value the collective bargaining process with our Trade Union partners and remain committed to reaching a speedy and mutually agreeable resolution to pay discussions.

“We request that our Trade Union colleagues seek their members’ views on this improved offer and that they suspend any plans for industrial action whilst this is considered.”

Unison Clackmannanshire were approached for comment.