Strike action to hit Scottish Water following breakdown in pay dispute talks

Unite confirmed that its 500-strong Scottish Water membership will take strike action in a dispute over pay following a breakdown in talks. 

An initial 24-hour strike action will take place on 28th March, with the union warning more industrial action may follow.

The previous scheduled industrial action inclusive of a standby ban and a ban on contractual overtime over two consecutive weekends was postponed to allow talks through the conciliation service Acas.

Sharon Graham, general secretary at Unite said: “Unite’s membership at Scottish Water is at the end of the road with the duplicitous behaviour of excessively paid executives.

“Strike action will now hit Scottish Water very soon with more days of action inevitable due to a culture of arrogance gripping the public body.

“Unite will fully support our members in their fight for better jobs, pay and conditions at Scottish Water.”

The offer withdrawn at Acas talks on 12th March, amounted to a basic pay rise of 3.4% or at least £1,400 for those on the lowest grades over a nine month period (July 2024 to April 2025).

Sam Ritchie, industrial officer at Unite, said: “Unite agreed to postpone previous rounds of industrial action to give conciliation talks a chance so we could try to find a breakthrough in the dispute.

“Instead, Scottish Water has used the talks as a device to string us along while watering down their existing proposals which is unacceptable to our membership.”

A spokesperson from Scottish Water said: “We would encourage the trade unions to get back round the negotiating table again so we can work with them and Acas to secure a good pay award for our people.

“No-one benefits from industrial action, and we would encourage the joint trade unions to resume negotiations as soon as possible so that we can resolve any outstanding issues amicably and continue to deliver for our millions of customers across Scotland.

“Our above-inflation pay offer is fair and progressive, prioritising the highest percentage increases in the business for those on the lowest salary grades – money that should be in employees’ pockets now.

“We have been negotiating this particular pay deal since December and it has not changed.”