Call to all members—rally Parliament on 8 December for the Scottish Government budget!

The fight for fair pay—all members to Scottish Parliament at 11am on Thursday 8 December

On 15 December, the Scottish Government will announce their budget for the year. This is important for all local government workers, as it will indicate what cuts may be ahead and how the government will value its local government—and other public sector—workers.

We are now in a recession. It is forecast to be the longest and with the hardest impact on living standards since records began, so we expect this budget to outline cuts. The public sector has already been cut to ribbons by the decade-long package of austerity following the 2008 recession. There is simply nothing left to cut without huge impacts on our communities and vulnerable people. We must oppose all cuts every step of the way.

This starts with rallying at the Scottish Parliament the week before the budget.

Rally on 8 December at 11am

The STUC (Scottish Trade Unions Congress) has organised a mass lobby outside the Scottish Parliament on 8 December from 11am to 1pm.

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Scotland demands a pay rise—STUC march and rally on 8 September

Assemble at 10:30am on Johnson Terrace to march off at 11am.
Rally at the Scottish Parliament 11.30am to 1pm

The Cost-of-Living Crisis is hitting people across the country. Public service workers in particular are facing a fresh set of real terms pay cuts on top of years of stagnating wages.

The STUC and our affiliated unions are campaigning for a range of urgent actions to stem this crisis, including action to reduce energy bills, support for those of all ages on benefits, rent caps and action to reduce transport costs.

The ultimate responsibility for the Cost-of-Living Crisis sits with the Tories at Westminster. However, this does not mean that the Scottish Government is powerless. It needs to start by funding inflation level pay rises for Scottish public service workers.

Join us, as we demand better for the public service workers of Scotland.

May Day celebrations

Come celebration International Workers Day in Edinburgh at two events.

May Day Cabaret on 1 May

The May Day cabaret on is Sunday 1 May at 7:30pm at the Southside Community Centre, featuring performances from:

  • Rab Noakes
  • Becci Wallace
  • Susan Morrison
  • Calum Baird
  • Ghazi Hussein
  • Iona Lee plus more guests.

Buy tickets for the May Day Cabaret

May Day March and Rally on 7 May

The May Day march and rally is on Saturday 7 May, assembling at 11:30am at the top end of Johnson Terrace to march at 12 midday and rally at the Pleasance Theatre at 12:30pm, where there will be music from Penny Stone and Calum Baird.

Speakers include:

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Pay update: Unite rejects COSLA’s offer, gets STUC support

Unite members have rejected the COSLA pay offer. 83.3% voted to reject the offer, with 80% indicating they were willing to take industrial action.

Over 14,000 workers were balloted.

The next steps will be for an industrial action ballot. Make sure your details are up to date by checking MyUnite or contacting the office on 0131 556 9676.

Pat Rafferty, Unite’s Scottish Secretary, has written an excellent article on local government workers for the Morning Star that provides a great analysis of the work done by local authorities and the context for current pay dispute.

Read all posts about the current pay claim for details of the offer, the unions’ proposal and history of the negotiation.

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