THOUSANDS of workers stand ready to strike for better pay at Scottish Water amid fury over soaring executive salaries.

All three unions at the Scottish-government-owned utility — Unite, Unison, and GMB — backed a ballot for strike action after workers overwhelmingly rejected a 3.4 per cent pay offer.

The ballot result comes as anger grows over rocketing pay for the executive team, who raked in a combined £1.15 million last year including bonuses, up from £854,000 in 2023, which included £329,000 in bonuses.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite’s 500-strong membership at Scottish Water is angry at the double standards gripping the executives of the public body.

“The strong backing for industrial action should come as no surprise, with executive pay hitting eye-watering levels while a poor pay offer remains on the table.”

GMB Scotland’s Claire Greer said: “Our members are again being forced to fight for a fair pay rise from a company [whose] top executives are taking home record bonus payments.”

Emma Phillips, regional organiser for Unison Scotland’s 1,000-strong membership at Scottish Water, said members felt they had no choice but to support strike action.

“Their pay has not kept up with inflation over the past 10 years, and most staff get paid less than £31,000 per year,” she said. 

“By contrast, senior managers ensure their own annual pay is measured in hundreds of thousands of pounds.

“What’s needed is a sensible solution that gives hard-working staff a pay rise that’s fair.”

Scottish Water said it remains committed to reaching an agreement with unions that avoids industrial action.