A strike by West Lothian Council workers that could have seen disruption to services has been called off.
The industrial action over a pay dispute had been due to kick off today and effected Unite school cleaning, catering and janitorial staff along with waste, recycling and fleet maintenance.
West Lothian Council said it welcomed the decision to postpone strike action after national negotiations between the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA) and representatives of the recognised trade unions led to a revised pay offer.
Union members will now be balloted to decide on whether to accept the pay deal on offer.
Leader of West Lothian Council Lawrence Fitzpatrick said: “I welcome the confirmation that potential strike action has been postponed, preventing any disruption to essential services that West Lothian residents rely on us to deliver.
“Council staff have done a magnificent job of ensuring that vital services could still be delivered throughout the pandemic.”
Johanna Baxter UNISON Scotland head of local government said: “This improved pay offer rightly puts more money into the pockets of those on the lowest pay – it is just disappointing that UNISON members had to threaten to go on strike for their employer to recognise their worth.
"We will now consult our members on this offer and UNISON will continue to lead the fight to improve the terms and conditions of these workers in the forthcoming negotiations for the 2022 pay review.”
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