Workers strike over pay, impacting vital services. Unions cite CEO pay and low offers as key grievances.
The unions rejected a 3.4% pay offer, a minimum of £1,200 depending on salary. A revised offer of another £200 was rejected too. Union leaders are comparing this to the CEO’s pay.
Last year, CEO Alex Plant’s pay was £483,000. His salary was just over half of that. He also got £83,000 in benefits. A large part of his benefits covered his move, with £73,000 covering the relocation costs.
That included temporary housing and an accommodation allowance of £29,000. £42,000 went toward a property tax.
Members from Unite, GMB, and Unison supported the strike. Unite said it will impact leak and flood responses. Sharon Graham from Unite reacted to the situation, calling it a double standard from executives.
She says their pay is high while the offer is low. Unite will back its members to get better pay. Claire Greer from the GMB added to this issue, stating executives are taking home record bonuses.
Emma Phillips from UNISON said no one wants to stop services. She says dealing with sewage and water is important and that they feel they have no other choice. She explains that their pay has not kept up with inflation.
Most earn under £31,000 each year, while senior managers make hundreds of thousands of pounds. She wants a fair pay rise for workers. A Scottish Water spokesperson commented on the issue.
They want the unions to rejoin discussions and to reach an agreement. Scottish Water also wants to avoid the work stoppage.
They say the offer is above inflation, a 3.4% rise. A minimum increase of £1400 is guaranteed with it. Those in lower salary grades will get a higher percentage increase.
With earlier changes, they will spend 17% more on pay. Also, the work week reduced to 35 hours.