The Workers Party of Britain denounces the local government management body COSLA and Scottish ministers for their failure to deal with a pay claim tabled by unions over ten months ago on behalf of some 200,000 local government employees, and salutes the decision by workers across eleven authorities to embark on strike action to press their claim.
The key workers, who include school caretakers and school dinner ladies and cleaners, as well as waste, recycling and fleet maintenance workers, kept services working throughout the pandemic with neither recognition nor reward. Now, with upward pressure on prices and energy costs going through the roof, it is urgent that this dedicated workforce, well over half of whom earn less than £25,000 a year, should win pay justice.
The workers will initially be striking from 8 to 12 November, with further strikes envisaged if management continue to stall. They deserve the support of all workers in this struggle.