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Industrial Action Suspended In Gesture Of Good Faith

The trade unions (UCATT, Unite and GMB) involved in the Scottish local government craft workers dispute have agreed to suspend further strike action for a four week period, in a gesture of good faith.

The unions agreed to call off strike action in the dispute - over long hours - planned for Monday June 16 and Monday June 30 after the councils involved indicated that they were prepared in principle to reduce the hours of the working week.

A 24 hour strike had already taken place on Monday June 2 in the 11 local authorities which had failed to reduce the working week for craft workers (carpenters, bricklayers, painters, labourers, electricians and plumbers) to 37 hours in line with the majority of local authorities in Scotland.

Harry Frew the secretary of the joint union side and Scottish regional secretary of construction union UCATT, said: “In an act of good faith the joint unions have agreed to suspend planned strike action. We will now be holding negotiations with each local authority in order to make progress in reducing the hours our members are expected to work.”

The 11 local authorities involved are: Dundee, East Dunbartonshire, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Fife, Inverclyde, Midlothian, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and Stirling. The dispute also involves workers employed in ALMO’s at Glasgow and North Lanarkshire.

For Further information contact Barckley Sumner on 0780 2329235 or Harry Frew on 0789 4414612

Harry Frew is available for interview