Talks held in bid to avoid strikes during Cycling World Championships

Last-ditch talks to avoid council strikes which would hit the start of the Cycling World Championships in Glasgow are will be held just 24 hours before the event is due to begin.

The UCI Cycling World Championships will be held in Glasgow from August 3 to 13.

Parking wardens, from Unite and the GMB, and Unite members working at the Emirates Arena — which includes the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome — are planning to strike on Thursday and Friday (August 3 and 4).

Workers would form a picket line at the arena where track cycling events will take place.

The GMB union has announced that members in schools and early years education, including cleaners and catering staff, have alsovoted to strike after rejecting a pay offer.

It said almost a third of Scotland’s councils, including Glasgow, have backed strikes and will walkout unless there is a breakthrough tomorrow. Action would take place in the new term.

Unions will meet with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) to discuss the pay offer to the Scottish joint council workforce. The GMB has said a 5.5% offer is “far below inflation” and less than council staff in England and Wales have received.

Graham McNab, from Unite, said the union wants the Scottish Government to fund an improved offer. “We’ve had a series of meetings with COSLA, we want to get back around the table,” he said. “We are not that far off a deal to be honest.”

Unite, the GMB and UNISON are planning a demonstration at 12pm on Thursday at the Donald Dewar statue on Buchanan Street.

A spokesman for Glasgow Life, which is one of the host partners for the Cycling World Championships, said: “Following confirmation of strike action we are looking at how this may impact our delivery of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships and where we can put contingency plans in place to mitigate such action.”

A COSLA spokesman said while “the offer value in year is 5.5%, the average uplift on salaries going into the next financial year is 7%”.

He added those on the Scottish Government Living Wage “would get 9.12% and those at higher grades, where councils are experiencing severe recruitment challenges, would see 6.05%”.

The spokesman said council leaders had “made a strong offer” which “clearly illustrates the value councils place on their workforce”. “It recognises the cost of living pressures and critically, it seeks to protect jobs and services.”

The Scottish Local Government Living Wage would be raised by 99p to £11.84 per hour, he added, and there was a “commitment to work with our trade unions to develop a road map to £15 per hour in a way that protects our workforce and services”.

After the results of the school staff ballot were revealed, Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser for public services, said: “It is no surprise that our members are prepared to strike rather than accept an offer that is less than last year despite the costs of living being even higher.

“COSLA should listen and arrive tomorrow with a fair offer and seize what is the final opportunity to avert industrial action.

“Whether it is our members voting to strike in schools or those in parking, who will take action within days, council workers are sick of being overworked and undervalued.”