Scottish Water calls for pay talks to resume

A Scottish Water van, Lochgilphead. Photo: Scottish Water

Trade union leaders should come back to negotiations, the chief of Scottish Water has said.

Scottish Water chief operating officer Peter Farrer made the comment as a seven-day walk-out begins today (Monday).

Members of Unison, Unite and GMB took strike action after “fruitless” pay talks broke down last month.

Scottish Water said its latest proposal would see an average pay increase of around seven per cent over two years (2024/25 and 2025/26), which was “comfortably above inflation”.

Mr Farrer said the industrial action was “unnecessary” and it would mean workers losing out on wages, resulting in “extra costs” to the business.

“We invited the joint trade unions to talk over the weekend but unfortunately they refused to meet without preconditions,” Mr Farrer said.

He said the vote on the pay offer was “close” enough for Scottish Water to believe a resolution was possible and welcomed by colleagues.

Mr Farrer added: “It is now time for the joint trade union leadership to return to the table with a sensible solution that ends this dispute.”

Scottish Water said it had “robust plans” to maintain services during the strike.

Negotiations broke down last month between the trade bodies and Scottish Water last month during a meeting at arbitration body Acas to resolve the pay dispute.

The latest round of pay talks began in June 2024, and the last offer was the seventh made in 12 months.

The unions said Scottish Water had proposed an improved offer for pay and conditions worth an additional £1.2 million in May, most of which was through a staff bonus scheme.

However, the additional bonus money was taken off the table, and an inferior offer put forward, according to the unions.

Trade body representatives said they were “bitterly disappointed” with the outcome of the talks and accused senior managers of playing games over pay.