HUNDREDS of Scottish Water workers will walk out multiple times over the next three months amid an escalating dispute.
Unite has confirmed some 500 staff will take 48 days of strike action in several rounds from next month through to the end of January.
It comes amid a pay and grading dispute, with 89% of the membership eventually voting for industrial action.
The dispute centres on Unite accusing Scottish Water bosses of bypassing long-standing collective bargaining processes involving trade unions.
This relates to a new "reward system" which Scottish Water bosses are trying to impose on the workforce which is also being tied to the 2023 pay offer.
READ MORE: Holyrood Weekly: Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie ahead of party conference
The trade union believes the strike action will significantly impair Scottish Water’s ability to respond to water leakages, flooding, pollution, and drinking water quality concerns during the autumn and winter.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham, said: “Unite’s 500-strong membership at Scottish Water has sent a crystal clear message to management that their behaviour will no longer be tolerated.
“Scottish Water has created this mess through their own arrogance and insatiable greed in the boardroom despite it being a public body.
“Unite will fully support our members in the fight for better jobs, pay and conditions at Scottish Water. Be in no doubt that we will hold management to account.”
The union says pipe repairs on roads and highways will not be repaired by Unite members on the scheduled days of action and they would also not be available to undertake work relating to any sewer flooding issues and the associated environmental impact of failing sewage works.
The first round of strike action will begin on November 10 and end on November 13 with the last round starting on January 26 and ending on January 29.
Every round of action will begin at 00.01 on a Friday and end at 23.59 on a Monday.
The trade union’s membership includes waste water operatives, water treatment and burst repair operatives, maintenance engineers, electricians and sewage tanker drivers.
Stephen Deans, Unite regional coordinating officer, added: “Scottish Water has paid lip service to our major concerns over pay which is being tied to a proposed new grading structure.
“The talks which have taken place with Scottish Water management following our membership emphatically backing strike have been in effect useless. Unite has therefore been left with no option but to serve notice of 48 days strike action over three months.”
The strike action announcement comes after Alex Plant, the new chief executive of Scottish Water, came under fire for earning a reported annual salary of £295,000 in breach of the Scottish Government’s public sector pay rules.
Plant is being paid £295,000 a year, more than £20,000 higher than his predecessor.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here