Glasgow City Council pauses planned staff dismissals

Glasgow City Council has paused its plan to dismiss and rehire non-teaching staff on new contracts, agreeing with the Scottish Government and three unions to resume negotiations over a disputed pay and grading scheme. The pause is intended to allow further talks and put an earlier offer back on the table; no new agreement has been reached and the dispute remains unresolved. The council said the process was paused after discussions on Friday, September 25. Workforce convener Allan Casey said the aim was to secure collective agreement on a replacement scheme that does not discriminate and can be put to workers in a ballot. A joint union statement welcomed the pause and said meaningful negotiations were expected to take place the following week. UNISON said talks should address its concerns through increased funding. The council’s plan had been to dismiss non-teaching staff and re-engage them on new contracts taking effect January 1, 2027. Reports put the number of workers affected at between 23,000 and 25,000; the sources do not reconcile the estimates. The council had said the changes were needed to replace a pay and grading structure it considers discriminatory.