THOUSANDS of school cleaners, caterers, janitors and support assistants in 1,800 schools across Scotland have begun three days of strikes.

Unison estimate that up to 21,000 of their members have begun industrial action, affecting three-quarters of the country’s primary and secondary schools.

Unions and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) have been locked in a pay dispute for over six months, as workers have rejected sub-inflation pay offers.

A last-minute offer of an additional £84 million being put in to wages – coming from within existing council budgets – amounting to 9.59 per cent for the lowest paid, tapering downwards through the pay scales, was tabled last week.

Cosla described it as their “best and final offer,” but Unison described it as “too little, too late” and decided to go ahead with this week’s strike, urging members to reject the deal in the forthcoming consultative ballot.

Unison Scotland head of local government Johanna Baxter said: “Cosla finally woke up last week and made a revised offer. 

“Both Cosla and the Scottish government had months to get their act together.

“Both have failed parents, pupils and staff miserably. Not a single school employee wants to walk out, but what’s been offered is substantially short of what’s needed.

“They should give school staff a decent pay rise, fund any increase properly and commit to a timetable for implementing a minimum rate of pay of £15 per hour for all local government workers.

“That would end the dispute.”

Striking workers moved from pickets to converge on the Buchanan St steps in Glasgow to hear speeches from Unison members and from STUC general secretary Roz Foyer.

Unison’s Lynn Marie O’Hara told the Star at the rally: “We’re here because Unison has taken strike action for three days over the derisory local government pay offer that was tabled to us on Thursday afternoon as a final offer.

“Well, we believe there’s more money to be given to these essential workers.

“Although there’s 21,000 strikers in Unison shutting the schools in Scotland today, this is for every single local government worker.

“We’ll stand in the rain and we’ll stand in the sun, we’ll do whatever it takes to make them take notice.”

Deputy First Minister Shona Robison said: “Scottish government and Cosla will continue to work together to minimise disruption for all affected areas.”