Story perspectives

Glasgow Council Restarts Fire-and-Rehire Letters After Talks Fail

By Drooid · Oct 2, 2026, 10:20 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Glasgow City Council resumed sending fire-and-rehire letters to Unison members after talks collapsed.
The council plans to dismiss and re-hire about 23,000 non-teaching staff under a new pay system.
The proposal would raise pay for roughly 63% of staff while cutting about 11% of salaries.
Unison refused to ballot members, ending the pause on letters.
Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth intervened on September 25, prompting the temporary pause.

History

Historical Context

In 2010 the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition introduced a 2 % public-sector pay freeze, projected to save £3.3 billion and provoking Unison and the TUC. A 1 % wage cap lasted until 2020 and local-government funding fell sharply. The 2024 fire-and-rehire plan for 23,000 staff echoes that salary-cut approach, drawing legal and parliamentary review in Scotland and Westminster.

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Story summary

Glasgow City Council resumed sending fire-and-rehire letters to Unison members after talks collapsed.
The council plans to dismiss and re-hire about 23,000 non-teaching staff under a new pay system.
The proposal would raise pay for roughly 63% of staff while cutting about 11% of salaries.
Unison refused to ballot members, ending the pause on letters.
Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth intervened on September 25, prompting the temporary pause.

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