Scottish Water staff call off latest strike over pay

A 24-hour strike by Scottish Water staff over pay has been suspended.

Members of three unions had planned to walk out at midnight after rejecting a pay deal worth around 2.8%.

But Unison and Unite said the action had been paused following "productive talks" and that further discussions would be held ahead of a scheduled strike on Tuesday.

The publicly-owned company said it hoped the talks, scheduled for Monday, would be positive.

Members of the GMB union are also taking part.

The latest action follows a two-day strike last month and a 24-hour strike in March.

Unison Scotland regional organiser Emma Phillips said negotiations would continue on Monday.

But she added: "Unless all sides can reach an agreement, Tuesday's walkout will take place."

Sam Ritchie, Unite industrial officer, said talks had taken on "a more positive tone"

He added: "We remain fully committed to getting a fair pay offer for our membership and to resolving this dispute.

"There has been significant movement by management which leads us to believe that a better offer may be imminent."

GMB has also been approached for comment.

Scottish Water said its talks with the Joint Trade Unions (JTUs) on Thursday were "constructive".

A spokesman added: "No-one benefits from industrial action and our focus is on continuing to deliver for our millions of customers across Scotland.

"Our above-inflation pay proposal is fair and progressive, prioritising the highest percentage increases in the business for those on the lowest salary grades - money that should be in employees' pockets now."

Scottish Water said its pay proposal amounts to a combined average value of around 7% of salary for 2024-2025 and 2025-2026.

It added those in lower graded roles could receive total salary increases of almost 11% over the two-year period.

The company said contingency plans were in place to enable normal services in the event of a strike.