UNITE the union has confirmed that around 300 craft members employed by West Lothian Council will take strike action in a dispute over money they claim is owed to the workforce.
Strike action will take place on 19, 20 and 21 December followed by a further two days of action on 3 and 4 January 2024. Unite revealed the membership supported strike action by 96.3%, and previously took strike action from October 17-19.
The dispute centres on the 2007 agreement covering craft workers employed by local authorities and outsourced workplaces who maintain council buildings and housing. The agreement covers a range of trades including joiners, plasterers, bricklayers, labourers, painters, and electricians.
Unite claim that West Lothian Council, to date, has refused to apply arrangements that ensure pay progression for craft workers who have undertaken, and continue to undertake, additional tasks which they entitled to under the terms of the agreement.
Industrial action will directly impact housing services and council buildings. Council house repairs will be ‘significantly’ delayed, and empty houses will remain unfit to be let out.
Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said, “West Lothian Council is digging a deeper and deeper hole for itself. Not only is it refusing to pay our members for the additional tasks carried out but now they have also chosen to delay a pay increase in time for Christmas.”
Unite added that West Lothian Council has stated that they will not be including the Scotland-wide COSLA craft workers’ pay increase in the December pay run citing a ‘lack of time’ for processing the payments.
