Local Government pay 2024 to 2025: letter to Unison

To: Unison Perth and Kinross Branch Secretary Stuart Hope

From: First Minister John Swinney

Thank you for your letter of 24 October.

I would like to put on record that I value the significant contribution that Local Government workers make to communities across Scotland. I am hugely appreciative of their work to deliver excellent public services, including across education, social care and waste management and I know this view is shared by my whole Cabinet.

Although the Scottish Government has no formal role in these pay negotiations, we have taken extraordinary decisions within a challenging financial context to identify an additional £77.5 million to support Local Government pay. This is at the absolute limit of affordability and there is no more available funding from the Scottish Government.

This additional funding allowed Local Government to make an improved offer which will see the lowest paid workers, including those involved in industrial action in Perth and Kinross, receive an increase of 5.63%. Alongside prioritising the lowest paid, this offer is also better than the offer made to Local Government workers across the rest of the UK, and as such, delivers what Unison, GMB and Unite jointly asked for from councils earlier in the year.

GMB and Unite members have already overwhelmingly accepted this offer and Council Leaders have agreed to implement the pay offer to ensure valued workers get pay in their pockets before Christmas.

I know that Local Government remain fully committed to the negotiation process and are continuing dialogue with all Trade Union partners in order to reach a collective agreement.

You will be aware from my comments in the Scottish Parliament and to the media that I do not think it is fair that the education of children and young people in Perth and Kinross is being disrupted because one of their local MSPs is also the First Minister of Scotland. 

I very much hope that Unison will continue meaningful dialogue with Local Government and join with GMB and Unite colleagues by accepting the offer and ending industrial action.