by our Industrial reporter @TrinderMatt

STAFF at the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) launched industrial action against significant cuts to take-home pay today.

The workers, who downed tools for 24 hours, will carry out further walkouts on Thursday and Friday next week and on six more days over the next month.

The action, which also includes bans on overtime and accrual of time off in lieu until the end of November, comes after the Unite union rejected a last-minute pay offer from bosses, dubbing it a “cynical publicity stunt.”

This week’s proposal represents a below-inflation uplift of between 5.5 and 7.7 per cent for the lowest earners, according to the union, which said nearly half the workforce would get as little as 3.3 per cent.

The figure would be cover less than a third of the current lowest inflation rate of 10.1 per cent.

Unite, which has been engaged in talks with senior management at the public body through arbitration service Acas, accused SNP ministers of preventing SQA from tabling a “fair” wage proposal as industrial action hits various sectors nationwide.

General secretary Sharon Graham slammed the latest pay offer as “completely unacceptable,” adding: “We will stand up for our members’ jobs, pay and conditions because they deserve better.”

Up to 55,000 appeals from pupils concerning exam results could be “severely delayed” by the strikes, the union warned. 

An SQA spokesperson said: “We are disappointed that the [pay] proposal has been rejected. 

“We are acutely aware of the impact the cost of living is having and we have worked hard to secure agreement from the Scottish government to make the best offer.

“We remain committed to ongoing dialogue with unions to resolve this dispute. Industrial action is not in the interests of learners.”