Glasgow, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire Unison rolling school strikes date confirmed

The date for a school strike across Glasgow has been announced by Unison, with further dates set to be announced.

School staff working in Glasgow, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, and Inverclyde councils will walk out on Wednesday, November 1 in an ongoing dispute over pay.

The confirmed date is the first part of a rolling programme of action that will take place over the forthcoming weeks, with the union confirming that further strike dates will be announced in due course.

Schools were disrupted for three days in September after Unison turned down an improved pay offer from council body Cosla.

The union said more than 21,000 members of staff – including janitors, canteen workers, classroom assistants and cleaners – had overwhelmingly voted against the deal.

UNISON Scotland head of local government Johanna Baxter said: “The strength of feeling amongst UNISON school staff, who voted overwhelmingly to reject Cosla’s latest pay offer, is clear for all to see. Both in terms of ballot votes and the number of people on picket lines across Scotland.

“We’ve also seen a surge in UNISON membership. That’s a testament to the strength of local government workers’ resolve to continue their fight for fair pay.

“The union is committed to resolving this dispute as soon as possible. Cosla and the Scottish Government are urged to get back round the negotiating table to explore every avenue to reach a settlement and avoid further disruption for parents and students.”

UNISON Scotland chair of the local government committee Mark Ferguson said: “No one takes the decision to strike lightly.

“I’m a parent myself, so I understand the disruption strikes cause. But if wages don’t rise, school staff will leave for other jobs beyond education that pay significantly more. That would be a disaster and would help no one.

“The current offer amounts to a real-terms pay cut and adds further stress to a dedicated workforce already suffering from the cost-of-living crisis.

“Cosla and the Scottish government need to give school staff a decent wage rise, fund any increase properly and commit to implementing a pay rate of £15 per hour for all local government workers.”