SCOTLAND’S councils could face widespread strikes after the Unite union confirmed that it has served notice to all 32 local authorities following an overwhelming rejection of the current pay offer.

The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) proposal of just 19p per day extra for workers on £25,000 a year — covering more than half of its predominantly female staff — has now been thrown out by unions. 

A ballot that closed this week saw members reject the Cosla pay offer by 83 per cent, with 74 per cent indicating a willingness to take strike action. 

Unite will now ballot targeted groups of local government workers, including school support staff and waste and refuse operatives.

The votes open on September 16 and close on October 7, with any strikes expected to take place from late October to late January. 

Unite industrial officer Wendy Dunsmore warned of an autumn and winter of industrial unrest, adding: “Unite’s local government workers will no longer tolerate being treated as the poor relation in our public services.”

A Cosla spokeswoman said: “We appreciate everything that local government workers have been doing, and continue to do, to  support people and communities during the pandemic and as we begin to recover. We continue with ongoing constructive negotiations.”