THOUSANDS of Unite members working for councils in Scotland have overwhelmingly accepted a revised pay offer from their employers.

The offer from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) was backed by 71 per cent in a union ballot.

It represents a minimum cash increase of £1,292 for the lowest-paid council workers, equivalent to 5.2 per cent for those earning around £25,000. 

The Scottish local government living wage will also increase by 5.63 per cent.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite’s members have overwhelmingly voted to accept Cosla’s revised pay offer. 

“A minimum increase of nearly £1,300 for the lowest paid will be a welcome boost to the pay packets of our members, who provide vital front-line local services.”

She added that the improved pay offer had been obtained through the “guts and determination” of union members.

The GMB union has also accepted Cosla’s offer, but Unison announced earlier this week that its members had voted to reject it, threatening bin strikes across Scotland.

A Cosla spokesperson said that the offer was at “the absolute limit of affordability” for councils and that it exhausts all available funding from the Scottish government.