Glasgow City Council Resumes Fire-and-Rehire Threats Amid Pay Dispute
Glasgow City Council ended a pause on fire-and-rehire notices for 23,000 staff after Unison union rejected a pay protection offer during equal pay negotiations.
The Glasgow City Council ended a temporary pause on issuing fire-and-rehire notices to 23,000 non-teaching staff on October 1, following a breakdown in negotiations with the Unison union. The council intends to sack and rehire workers on new contracts to resolve a long-running equal pay dispute involving a regrading system designed to replace a discriminatory structure. While the council claims the majority of staff will see improvements, approximately 11% of workers—roughly 2,000 employees—face pay cuts, with some domestic abuse workers potentially losing £11,000 annually.
To mitigate these losses, the council offered two years of pay protection, a move Council Leader Ricky Bell described as going the extra mile. Unison rejected the offer, demanding three years of protection and increased investment in allowances. While the GMB and Unite unions agreed to put the proposal to their members, Unison refused to hold a ballot, arguing the package was not good enough for workers.
Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth intervened to pause the fire-and-rehire plan, a practice opposed by the Scottish Government. Following this intervention and subsequent backlash, the council briefly withdrew the notices to enter fresh negotiations. Unison maintains that its resistance has already improved the offer, which now includes an additional £110 million in funding. The council aims for new contracts to take effect on January 1, coinciding with a UK-wide ban on fire-and-rehire practices.
