Local Government Pay Ballot Information

Ballots are now being sent to all members in Local Government and the ballot will run to 5pm on 28th April.
It is important that members do not share or forward their ballot e-mail. The ballot link that is e-mailed is unique to each member. If you forward it to someone else before you have voted and the person you forward to casts a vote via that link it will mean the original recipient will not be able to cast their vote because the system will have recorded them as having already voted.
Anyone who does not receive a ballot by Thursday 15th should:
a) Firstly, check that it hasn’t landed in their spam/junk folder.
b) If it is not there, and you are certain that we have your e-mail address and have given permission for us to contact you by e-mail, they should ask other members in their workplace have received it or not.
c) If all else fails call UNISON Direct on 0800 0857 857.

2. A dedicated web page has been set up on the UNISON Scotland website which will contain all information relating to the ballot. The page is at https://www.unison-scotland.org/local-government-pay-ballot

3. We have drawn up a number of frequently asked questions which are attached.

4. UNISON’s key campaign messages are:

The offer does not do enough to address the significant and endemic problems of low pay in local government.
According to COSLA’s own figures 55% of Local Government workers in Scotland earn below £25k per annum.
That’s over 100,000 workers, predominantly women, earning significantly below the average wage in Scotland which is currently sitting at £31k per annum.
Local Government has not stopped during the pandemic.
But for our local government home carers our elderly would have been left without care. They deserve better.
But for our local government cleaners, our classroom assistants and janitors our schools would not have been open to provide childcare that enabled key workers to get to work. They deserve better.
But for our local government workers schools would have closed and our children would have been left without an education. They deserve better.
But for our environmental health officers temporary mortuaries would not have been built and our hospitals would have been overwhelmed. They deserve better.
But for our local government registration officers we would not have been able to register the deaths of our loved ones. They deserve better.
But for our leisure and culture staff being redeployed test and protect would not have been rolled out. They deserve better.
But for our local government workers business support grants would not have been processed. They deserve better.
But for our social workers our most vulnerable would have been left without care. They deserve better.
But for our refuse collectors rubbish would have built up and we would have faced another type of health emergency. They deserve better.

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