Story perspectives

Glasgow Council plans to dismiss 23,000 staff over pay

By Drooid · Sep 25, 2026, 10:03 PM UTC · How we work

Center

Potential strike over pay

Glasgow City Council announced on 24 September 2026 it will dismiss 23,000 non-teaching staff and rehire them under contracts after pay talks broke down.
Council officials say the dismissals could be withdrawn if unions ballot their members on the pay offer.
63% would keep or gain wages; 11% could lose up to £11,500 a year.
Unite and GMB will ballot members and may strike, while Unison calls the threat scandalous.

Right

Labour Condemns Bullying

Glasgow City Council announced on 24 September 2026 it will dismiss over 20,000 non-teaching staff and rehire them under new contracts.
Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra condemned the plan as a despicable tactic echoing a Tory playbook.
Justice Secretary Neil Gray said the dispute is a local-government matter and urged negotiation.
Union leaders described the council’s plan as bullying that could force staff into unfavorable contracts.

Blindspot

Council officials said plan would keep wages the same or higher for about 63 % of staff, cut pay for roughly 11 %, could reduce salary by £11,500 a year, and that dismissals could be withdrawn if the three unions ballot on the offer.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Center-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Right-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

The 1979 United Kingdom local-government pay dispute, sparked by the Callaghan administration’s wage freeze, triggered mass walkouts across England and Scotland. Approximately 30,000 council employees, including Glasgow’s own staff, joined the strike, costing the public sector an estimated £100 million in lost productivity. Today, Glasgow City Council’s plan to dismiss 23,000 non-teaching workers under new contracts echoes the 1979 tactics, prompting Unite, GMB and Unison to threaten industrial action while Labour leader Michael Marra and Justice Secretary Neil Gray demand negotiations. If the council withdraws the dismissals, the episode may reinforce union leverage and shape future Scottish local-government labor reforms.

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Potential strike over pay

Glasgow City Council announced on 24 September 2026 it will dismiss 23,000 non-teaching staff and rehire them under contracts after pay talks broke down.
Council officials say the dismissals could be withdrawn if unions ballot their members on the pay offer.
63% would keep or gain wages; 11% could lose up to £11,500 a year.
Unite and GMB will ballot members and may strike, while Unison calls the threat scandalous.

1 / 4