TWO trade unions have suspended strike action in Inverclyde schools next week to ballot their memberships on a ‘credible’ new pay offer.

Unite and GMB members in education and early years services were due to take part industrial action across 11 local authorities, including here, from September 26 to 28.

But following a meeting of Unite's local government committee this morning, the union announced the strike suspension.

The committee has recommended the acceptance of COSLA’s improved pay offer, with members to be balloted between September 26 and October 17.

The new offer represents a minimum increase of £2,006 for those on the Scottish Local Government Living Wage – which would rise from £10.85 to £11.89 – and a minimum of £1,929 for those above from April 1.

Graham McNab, Unite’s lead negotiator for local government, said: “Unite’s primary objective all along has been to negotiate a credible offer that addresses chronic low pay in local government.

"It is an offer that should have been put on the table months ago if it were not for the dithering and blundering by COSLA and Scottish Government ministers.

“We believe the offer makes sufficient progress on low pay, and it is one that our wider membership should have its say on.”

The GMB has now followed suit in suspending the strike.

The union, which represents more than 21,000 staff in local authorities, said Cosla, representing Scotland’s 32 councils, had 'significantly improved' its offer and members should be given the chance to vote on it.

Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in public services, said: “It would be wrong to suggest this offer is not a clear improvement on those that came before it, especially for the lowest paid workers.

“GMB is a trade union led by its members and it is absolutely right they are asked to decide on what is a significantly better offer.

“Cosla has itself highlighted how far it has advanced since April which only begs the question why it took so many months to make an offer worth discussing with our members?

“We remain disappointed it took first the threat and then the looming reality of strike action in Scotland’s schools before we saw any sign of leadership from Cosla.

“Whatever our members decide, lessons should be learned from these needlessly protracted negotiations to ensure workers, parents and pupils do not endure similar uncertainty in future.”

The third union involved in the dispute, Unison, had already rejected the offer and announced last night that its members would walk out for three days next week.

Johanna Baxter, Unison's head of local government, said: “This revised offer is far too little, too late.

"Strikes will therefore proceed next week.

"We cannot agree to a pay offer that will result in further cuts to our members jobs and the services they provide.”