Building maintenance and housing workers employed by councils to protest at below inflation pay rises

Hundreds of construction workers in Scotland are to go on strike over pay and working conditions.

The workers, who are employed by local authorities and are members of the UCATT construction union, will go on strike on Monday 2 June and are planning further industrial action fortnightly on Mondays until the dispute is resolved.

The workers, employed across 13 local authorities, are housing and building maintenance workers who are campaigning for better pay. The Scottish government has only offered the workers a below inflation pay rise of 2.45%. Some authorities have also refused union calls to reduce the working week from 39 to 37 hours.

Harry Frew, regional secretary of UCATT Scotland, said: “Local government employers must realise that they cannot treat dedicated hardworking craftworkers with contempt. Industrial action is always a last resort but it has been forced on us because of the inflexible attitude of employers.”

The local authorities being targeted by the strikes are: Dundee, East Dunbartonshire, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow, Inverclyde, Midlothian, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and Stirling.