Tag: strike

EIS strike—advice for members in schools

On Thursday 24 November, teachers in the EIS will be on strike over pay.

The facts

All schools will be closed.

Staff who are not striking will be working from home.

Pupils on free school meals will get their Thursday lunch to take home on Wednesday.

There will be no clubs at schools, other than evening classes after 6pm.

Crossing the picket

Download the Council’s guide to industrial action for details (PDF)

Download Unite’s guide for members not involved in industrial action (PDF)

Working from home presents a question of whether this is crossing a picket. A picket line is not just a physical line, but one that can be crossed virtually.

The decision is yours.

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Pension buy back for striking workers

Striking workers will lose the pension contributions for each day they were on strike. However you can buy back lost pension.

Please read the information below from HR for details.

What happens to my pension if I strike?

For each strike day, you lose both your contributions and your employer’s contributions to your pension pot.

However, there is an option to buy back lost pension via an Additional Pension Contribution (APC). The cost of the lost pension is calculated based on age-related factors rather than being a fixed percentage of the member’s salary.

For strike action, pension members are expected to pay 100% of the cost of buying back pension. If the strike action is less than 10 days, then members must make a lump sum payment rather than spreading the cost over a period of time.

Use the buy lost pension calculator to get a quote for buying back any lost pension contributions and read details on your pension if you’re away from work.

To buy back lost pension

To buy back lost pension call HR on 0131 469 5555.

If you have access Halo complete the ‘Pension buy back’ form there.

You must make your request to buy back your lost pension within 30 days of the strike officially ending.

Note: The strike official ended on 29 September with the acceptance of the offer, not on the last day of strike, as the action was merely suspended.

Pay offer accepted—looking back on the strike

City Chambers demo on the first day of the 2022 strike. Photo by Craig Maclean.

Today, Unite members accepted the latest pay offer from COSLA, with 71% voting to accept. Read details of the offer and see what it means to you.

Edinburgh waste and cleansing workers led the fight for Scottish local government worker pay.

The strike proved what we knew all along—the undeniable value of waste and cleansing workers, the city’s disease prevention team whose work benefits citizens, businesses and tourists immeasurably, and the power these workers have when organised to take action. The impact was noticed within 12 hours. Edinburgh was turned upside down and this shock made the Scottish Government sit up and take it notice. The action of the waste and cleansing workers brought the First Minister to the table to negotiate a resolution, despite the government’s prior insistence that it had nothing to do with them.

Overwhelmingly, the public stood by us and recognised that our fight is their fight. The attacks on working people in this country are being resisted and we are at the forefront, showing that organised, disciplined workers are ready for the fight for fair pay to weather the cost of living crisis. Edinburgh residents and visitors have shown their support and solidarity, recognising that local government workers are essential, yet unappreciated and unvalued by the Scottish Government.

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