Scottish Water employees have launched a new round of industrial action after rejecting the latest pay offer, marking the third wave of strikes this year over the ongoing pay dispute.
Members of the GMB, Unite, and Unison unions began a coordinated seven-day strike on Monday, which is expected to continue until Sunday. The walkout follows previous industrial action held in March and April, as tensions continue to rise over the company’s pay proposals.
Unions reject revised pay deal
The most recent pay proposal included a 3.4% rise or a minimum of £1,050 for lower-paid employees, later revised to a 7% increase over two years after prior strikes. Despite the changes, union members remain unsatisfied, arguing the offer still lags behind settlements reached with other public sector workers in Scotland.
Unison reported that 51% of its members voted against the latest proposal, with 49% in favour on an 86% turnout. GMB said 60% of members rejected the offer, while 40% accepted it, with a turnout of 78%. Unite’s voting data was not disclosed.
Union leaders accuse Scottish Water of bad faith
Unison’s Scottish Water branch secretary Patricia McArthur criticised the company’s handling of the negotiations, accusing management of “game-playing” and prioritising anti-union measures over resolving the dispute.
“The company seems more interested in spending public money on anti-union tactics than in finding a solution to this pay dispute,” she said. “Its managers proposed a possible pay offer, then retracted it, only to come up with something worse.”
Disruption expected to key services
Scottish Water warned that the strike may cause delays to emergency repairs, water testing, and routine maintenance. However, the company said contingency plans had been put in place to ensure critical services continue without interruption.
A joint union demonstration is scheduled to take place on Wednesday outside Scottish Water’s Shieldhall offices in Glasgow.
Management urges unions to return to negotiations
Peter Farrer, chief operating officer at Scottish Water, condemned the latest strike action as unnecessary and counterproductive.
“This week’s industrial action is unnecessary. It will result in union members losing valuable wages and impose extra costs on the business, which are ultimately passed on to customers,” he said. “We urge union leaders to return to the table with a reasonable solution that brings this dispute to an end.”
