Local government workers in Scotland have voted to accept a two-year pay deal.
The employees, who are members of trade union Unison, are part of the Scottish Joint Council workforce, working under the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla), the representative voice of local government in Scotland.
In June, Cosla offered staff an increase of 4% for this year and 3.5% for 2026. A total of 83% of members voted in a ballot to accept the offer. They rejected a 3% offer that was made in February.
This follows ongoing negotiations with Unison and trade unions Unite and GMB, which have yet to accept the deal, across the Scottish Joint Council, craft operatives and chief officials bargaining groups.
A Cosla spokesperson said: “I’m pleased that Unison members have voted to accept the two-year pay offer from Cosla. The offer is worth 4% in year one, which will be backdated to 1 April, and a further 3.5% increase in year two from 1 April 2026. In putting forward this strong, two-year offer council leaders recognise the value our employees in Scotland’s councils deliver every day.
“We know that the two other unions, Unite and GMB, have still to complete the balloting of members. If they are in favour of acceptance, councils will be able to take forward work to get the pay increase of 7.64% over the two-year period into the pockets of our workforce.”
Suzanne Gens, local government committee chair of Unison Scotland, added: “This pay deal is a crucial step in turning round cuts to council staff pay. It gives local government workers some financial security now they know their pay will be higher than inflation over the next couple of years. This has only been achieved because of the determination of council workers to demand better.”
David O’Connor, co-lead for local government at Unison Scotland, said: “Council staff have accepted the deal but there’s no room for complacency. This pay deal shows what can be done when people stand together. Our campaign to protect council services continues.”