Unite the Union members join Scottish Water strike on March 28 amid 'culture of arrogance'

Scottish Water has been accused of cultivating a “culture of arrogance” as a second union confirmed it is taking strike action over pay.

Unite the Union said its 500 members will walk out on March 28, joining colleagues from GMB Scotland who announced industrial action on Thursday.

Scottish Water has been warned that longer and more disruptive strikes are “inevitable”.

The action will directly impact Scottish Water’s ability to respond to water leakages, flooding, pollution, and quality concerns on strike dates.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the union’s membership at Scottish Water is “at the end of the road with the duplicitous behaviour of excessively paid executives”.

She added: “Strike action will now hit Scottish Water very soon with more days of action inevitable due to a culture of arrogance gripping the public body.

“Unite will fully support our members in their fight for better jobs, pay and conditions at Scottish Water.”

The union has also criticised executives for using talks to “water down” the pay offer.

Workers had voted against an offer of 3.4% or £1,400 covering the last nine months.

Unite the Union called the latest offer – which amounts to the same percentage increase or £1,050 for those on the lowest grades over the same period – a diluted version of the one workers already rejected.

GMB Scotland levelled similar criticisms against the public water company on Thursday, accusing executives of “gaslighting” workers.

Sam Ritchie, Unite industrial officer, said: “Unite agreed to postpone previous rounds of industrial action to give conciliation talks a chance so we could try to find a breakthrough in the dispute. Instead, Scottish Water has used the talks as a device to string us along while watering down their existing proposals which is unacceptable to our membership.”

However, a spokesperson for Scottish Water encouraged trade unions, including Unite, to “get back around the negotiating table again” to secure a good pay award for employees.

“No-one benefits from industrial action, and we would encourage the joint trade unions to resume negotiations as soon as possible so that we can resolve any outstanding issues amicably and continue to deliver for our millions of customers across Scotland,” the spokesperson said.

“Our above-inflation pay offer is fair and progressive, prioritising the highest percentage increases in the business for those on the lowest salary grades – money that should be in employees’ pockets now.”

The company said it has been negotiating this particular pay deal since December and claimed it “has not changed”.

Scottish Water said the current pay offer is in addition for an 8% increase in 2023 and further uplifts with pay progression already paid in 2024. If the current pay offer is implemented, the spokesperson said the company’s salary bill will have increased by 17% in two years.