Strike leads to two-day closure of Glasgow schools

Workers took part in a 48-hour strike over equal pay

All primary, nursery and additional support for learning schools in Glasgow will close for two days next week due to strike action by council staff.

Industrial action over an equal pay dispute is expected to affect schools next Tuesday and Wednesday.

Secondary schools will stay open but there will be no breakfast clubs or after school care, and school meals will be packed lunches.

The strike called by Unison and GMB last week will also hit care services.

Glasgow City Council has apologised to parents for the short notice on school closures.

School and nursery staff including learning support, early years and administrative workers are expected to be among those who walk out.

Other council services likely to be affected by the strike include home care, cleaning, catering, residential homes, homelessness hostels and addiction services.

• Glasgow City Council staff balloted over equal pay case delays

• Deal struck over Glasgow equal pay dispute

The industrial action stems from the long-running equal pay dispute, which was settled at an estimated cost of £500m in 2019.

However, unions have accused the council of "unnecessary delays" in settling claims from after March 2018.

Douglas Hutchison, executive director of education, informed parents of the closures in a letter sent on Wednesday.

In it, he said that due to the extent of the strike action by Unison and GMB members, which was announced on 15 March, the council had "no option" but to close the schools.

He wrote: "I am sorry that you will have to make short notice, alternative arrangements for their (sic) child because of this announcement, and there will be no online learning.

"I regret that we have been left with no option but to limit our provision over the two days of the planned industrial action next week."

April strike possible

Unison said it was expecting a "large turn out for our march and rally" next week.

Last week the union said its members in Glasgow would strike again in April if there was no resolution to the dispute.

It is calling out nearly 9,000 members and with GMB also joining the action, it estimated that more than 12,000 workers could strike.

Mandy McDowall, Unison regional organiser, said: "Millions of pounds of unpaid wages is owed to low paid women of Glasgow. It's a scandal that they are still waiting.

"The council need to come forward with a settlement. This is discrimination and colleagues have died waiting for their unpaid wages to be paid to them."

The 2019 agreement on the equal pay dispute settled pay claims up until March 2018 and included a new pay and grading system to rectify issues of unequal pay, primarily of women.

Unison said that, since then, around 5,500 new claims had been lodged for the period prior to March 2018, with nearly 20,000 claimants awaiting settlements for the period after that.

It said the current dispute centred around whether the new claimants receive the terms of the 2019 agreement.

Unison members voted 96% for strike action on a 52.5% turnout.