Scottish Water staff to hold two-day strike

Scottish water staff will organize a two -day strike from midnight in the middle of a continuous dispute over payment.

The workers will leave on Tuesday and Wednesday after a one -day strike last month.

Three unions participate in the action, UNE, the GMB and the unison.

The public company said it had contingency plans to maintain services.

Unison warned that emergency repairs and water quality controls would not be carried out and problems with the supply or wastewater would have to wait until the strike ends.

He said he had rejected a salary sacrifice of 2.6%, so it is equivalent to less than £ 1,050, saying that “it does not compensate the staff for a decade of real -term payment cuts,” although the Scottish water said the current sacrifice was greater.

Unison Scotland regional organizer Emma Phillips said: “The strike action is always a last resort.

“The staff has suffered a decade of salary offers that house” that kept up to date with inflation.

“They are not willing to be paid for longer.

“The union has done everywhere to try to make the superior managers of Scottish Water put a right sacrifice on the table, but they refuse to be reasonable.”

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our members in Scottish Water provide a key function. Despite the essential work they do, they have their eroded salary for years, they are simply not prepared to tolerate this situation.

“Unite does what he says in the can, and will support workers all the way to fight for better jobs, payment.”

Claire Greer, organizer of GMB Scotland, said the company reviewed its sacrifice after the conversations with the ACAS conciliation service, but only worsened.

She said: “Her salary sacrifice last year and a substantial part of this year was too long, too complicated but, most importantly, too low.

“The strikes will continue and the action will increase until our members are a fair and acceptable sacrifice.”

Peter Farrer, Scottish Water Operations Director, said: “No one benefits from industrial action, and our approach is to continue delivering our millions of customers in Scotland.

“Our payment proposal above inflation is fair and progressive, prioritization The highest percentage of increases in business for those in the lowest salary degrees, money that should be in employee pockets now.”

He said that both parties with the ACAS conciliation service earlier this month to try to solve the dispute, and since then an improved sacrifice had been made.

“This is a good proposal, and we are disappointed that union officials have not shared it with their members and has given them the opportunity to vote on sacrifice on a ballot,” he said.

“We urge the unions to return the negotiating table as soon as possible.”

He added: “We do not recognize the 2.6% number in the unison declaration and is not part of the sacrifice in our negotiations.

“The salary sacrifice is a 3.4% increase above inflation by 2024/25, with a guaranteed salary increase of at least 1,400 for those in the lowest work ratings, which means that some employees will receive around 5.5%.”