Thousands of Glasgow council workers are facing potential dismissal and re-engagement under less favourable conditions, following a breakdown in union negotiations this week. This situation could lead to one of the largest "fire-and-rehire" exercises in the UK.
About 23,000 non-teaching staff were informed last week that they would be affected after talks between the SNP-led council and the GMB, Unison, and Unite unions collapsed. These negotiations aimed to establish a new pay and grading system to address historical pay equality issues. Unison declined to ballot its members on an offer that would result in pay cuts for 11% of council employees, prompting the council to begin issuing fire-and-rehire letters.
The council's leader, Ricky Bell, indicated that Unison members could still face fire-and-rehire while discussions with GMB and Unite continue, after negotiations with Unison collapsed again midweek. Unison is reportedly seeking advice on the legality of its members being treated differently based on union membership.
An emergency motion by Green councillors to block the scheme was rejected on Thursday by the council’s City Administration Committee. Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth reaffirmed the Scottish government’s stance against fire-and-rehire last week, stating it "does not align with the principles and expected practice of fair work."
On Friday, Gilruth chaired mediation talks, securing a temporary pause to the fire-and-rehire plans for the weekend. However, Unison stated that the practice must be permanently withdrawn for negotiations to be productive.