The basic pay offer made in October amounted to 3.4% or no less than £1,200 depending on salary grade. Standby payments would similarly increase by the same percentage. The offer was overwhelmingly rejected by Unite’s membership.

Scottish Water then proposed an additional £200 but the pay round would start from July 2024 – July 2025, and then commence in April for a year. This offer was also rejected by Unite outright.

Unite is highlighting how Scottish Water’s counterparts in Northern Ireland in contrast received a £1,500 non-consolidated payment and a five per cent wage rise in December.

The union is further drawing attention to the ‘eye-watering’ executive pay levels at Scottish Water.  In August 2024, it was reported that Scottish Water executives were awarded £227,000 in bonuses. The bonuses followed water bills in Scotland increasing by 8.8% from April.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham, said: 

“Scottish Water has failed to make our members a fair and decent pay offer. Contrast this management snub with the eye-watering packages its executive team members are dishing out to themselves. Unite will fully support our members in the fight for better jobs, pay and conditions at Scottish Water.”

Alex Plant, the chief executive, was given an £87,000 boost on top of his reported £246,000 salary. Plant’s overall remuneration package totals £483,000. Twelve executive members of the public body benefited from remuneration packages worth a combined £1.15m up from £854,000 in 2023 (Notes to Editor).

Unite’s membership includes waste water operatives, water treatment and burst repair operatives, maintenance engineers, electricians and sewage tanker drivers. 

Due to the key frontline roles undertaken by Unite’s membership in sewers, water treatment centres and on pipework, any industrial action will directly impact Scottish Water’s ability to respond to water leakages, flooding, pollution and quality concerns.

Industrial action could involve strike action, working to rule and working only to contracted hours. Scottish Water rely heavily on workers doing overtime or the organisation would need to pay substantial payments to contractors to undertake outstanding remedial works.

Unite is underlining its concerns over the ongoing ‘botched’ job evaluation scheme with many of its members being downgraded in pay. In December 2023, a widespread industrial dispute at the public body was finally resolved with an acceptable pay offer, and an agreement to negotiate the scheme separately from the pay offer.

Sam Ritchie, Unite industrial officer, said:  

Scottish Water’s executive team appear too preoccupied with awarding themselves bonus and pension top-ups to make our members a decent pay offer.

“Unite has no option but to ballot our members on industrial action because Scottish Water is ignoring our members’ reasonable demands. To add insult to injury, there is a botched job evaluation process ongoing which is leading to many of our members losing pay through being downgraded. That is unacceptable and we will fight back against this culture of arrogance at Scottish Water.”