TENS of thousands of council workers across Scotland are ready to strike to win a pay rise, the country’s largest local government union warned today. 

A Unison Scotland consultation of its 80,000 members across the country’s 32 councils found more than 92 per cent were prepared to take strike action to demand the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities’ (Cosla) raise their 3 per cent pay offer.

The union’s Scottish local government lead, David O’Connor, warned that inflation, soaring energy prices and council tax rises of up to 15.6 per cent in Scotland this year mean the current pay offer is “effectively a wage cut.”

He said: “Strike action is always a last resort, but local government workers deserve to be paid fairly for the vital work they do.

“Cosla and the Scottish government must get around the table with a fair pay offer that recognises the essential contribution council workers make in the community.”

Unison Scotland’s local government committee chairwoman Colette Hunter said: “The last thing anyone wants to do is take strike action.

“But local government workers deserve a fair increase to stop their pay lagging behind inflation and other sectors of the economy.

“This result should be a wake-up call for Cosla. It needs to reward council workers fairly for the essential services they provide and start to reverse years of pay cuts.

“Workers have seen the value of their wages fall over the past 10 years, while often being asked to take on even more work to cover for vacant posts in their teams.

“Councils provide vital services to their communities by caring for the most vulnerable, educating children, collecting waste and recycling and keeping people safe.

“Council workers deserve better.”

The Scottish government and Cosla were contacted for comment.