Dumfries and Galloway Scottish Water staff start week-long strike action
Members of three unions downed tools this morning with the walk out set to continue until Sunday.
Staff at Scottish Water in Dumfries and Galloway have started seven days of strike action.
The walk out comes after the latest pay deal was rejected by staff.
The industrial action, which involves workers in the Unite, Unison and GMB Scotland unions, started on Monday and will continue until Sunday.
Workers also downed tools in April.
Unison Scottish Water branch secretary, Patricia McArthur, said: 'Staff are extremely frustrated. They deserve better than game-playing by senior Scottish Water managers.
'The company seems more interested in spending public money on anti-union tactics than in finding a solution to this pay dispute.
'Its managers proposed a possible pay offer, but then retracting it, only to come up with something much worse.'
Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, added: 'Scottish Water executives are short-changing their workers and the Scottish people while they laugh all the way to the bank with their eye-watering pay packages.
"Our members will not be forced into accepting a pay offer which has barely moved an inch since October last year."
'Unite continues to stand with our members in their fight for better jobs, pay and conditions at Scottish Water.'
Scottish Water's chief operating officer Peter Farrer said: 'This week's industrial action is unnecessary. It will mean union members losing valuable wages and add extra costs to the business which are ultimately paid for by customers.
'We invited the joint trade unions to talk over the weekend but unfortunately they refused to meet without preconditions.
'Given how close the vote against our latest pay offer was, we felt a resolution was possible and would be welcomed by all our colleagues.
'It is now time for the joint trade union leadership to return to the table with a sensible solution that ends this dispute.
'In the meantime, we have robust plans in place to maintain essential services should the trade unions press ahead with their strike action.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Scottish Colourist paintings reunited after more than 70 years ahead of auction
Samuel John Peploe's Firs At The Massif des Calanques, Cassis was displayed alongside Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell's Interior – Santa Maria della Salute, Venice at an exhibition in Edinburgh in 1949. They will feature in Lyon & Turnbull's Scottish paintings and sculpture auction on Thursday, with each estimated to fetch between £80,000 and £120,000. Firs At The Massif des Calanques, Cassis was painted in 1928 during the third of four trips Peploe made to the French port during a period of more than 25 years. Cadell painted the interior of Santa Maria della Salute, a church which stands at the entrance to the Grand Canal, following a visit he made to Venice in 1910. Both paintings featured in the Scottish Colourists exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy's Festival Exhibition in 1949, where work by their friend Leslie Hunter was also on show. Alice Strang, senior specialist with Lyon & Turnbull and an expert in the work of the Scottish Colourists, said: 'This is a 'friends reunited' moment. 'It is thrilling to think that the last time these two beautiful paintings, by artists who were such good friends, were in the same room was in 1949, when they were exhibited together in the Royal Scottish Academy, down the road from our saleroom. 'The Peploe transports us to the heat of Cassis, whilst the Cadell takes us to the beauty of Venice. 'Their remarkable reunion will last until the sale day this Thursday.'
The Herald Scotland
3 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
National Lottery funding blow for Edinburgh Filmhouse revamp
However the planned refurbishment will not be complete when the doors of the Filmhouse reopen for the first time in almost three years later this month. Read more: A new fourth screen cinema is not due to open until later in the summer, when the new-look Filmhouse is expected to host Edinburgh International Film Festival screenings. It is understood around £100,000 is still needed for other key elements of the project, to ensure the new-look Filmhouse is as accessible and energy efficient as possible. The bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund was also intended to help for improvements to the façade of the former church building, which is part of Edinburgh's city centre culture quarter, along with the Usher Hall, and the Lyceum and Traverse theatres. The Filmhouse cinema in Edinburgh is due to reopen by the end of this month. (Image: Rod White) However it was turned down a bid for up to £250,000 in April – months after multi-million pound pledges were made over two other major cultural projects in the city. Up to £5 million has been pledged for plans to turn the former Royal High School on Calton Hill into a new National Centre for Music, while a further £4.5m has been pledged towards efforts to reopen the Leith Theatre building on a permanent basis for the first time in more than 40 years. New seating has been installed in the Filmhouse cinema ahead of its reopening. (Image: Alastair McCrum) The UK Government, the Scottish Government agency Screen Scotland and Edinburgh City Council have all supported the rescue bid for the Filmhouse, which had been running for more than 40 years until its operating company went into administration in October 2022. The Filmhouse and the Edinburgh International Film Festival, which were both run by the Centre for Moving Image, were forced to cease trading with immediate effect. The Filmhouse crowdfunder, which has raised more than £325,000 to date, has been backed by stars including the Jack Lowden, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Emma Thompson, Dougray Scott, Kate Dickie and Timothy Spall. The rescue of the cinema has been led by a group of former staff who led an unsuccessful bid to buy the building, but managed to persuade Caledonian Heritable, the Edinburgh-based bar and restaurant operator, to agree to negotiations over a potential lease agreement after it snapped up the building for £2.65m. Their new charity, Filmhouse (Edinburgh) Ltd, would go on to secure a 25-year lease, and £1.5m in crucial funding from the UK Government to pay for a refurbishment which was seen as critical to the future success of the reopened cinema. New seating has been installed in the Filmhouse's three long-running screenings rooms, which will have a lower capacity but with more leg room and more comfortable seats, the much-loved café-bar has been refurbished and expanded, and the cinema will have a revamped foyer. However the Filmhouse website states: 'We have the funds to reopen Filmhousem but the more we have the better it will be, so our crowdfunder remains open.' The crowdfunding page adds: 'The crowdfunder has been a huge success and has enabled Filmhouse to look forward to welcoming you back very soon. 'We are still fundraising to make sure we have enough to cover all the costs incurred as we ramp up the new Filmhouse organisation – and for key improvements such as accessibility and minimising environmental impact. 'Any funds we can raise here will make a real difference to the future of Filmhouse.' Former Filmhouse and film festival chief executive Ginnie Atkinson, one of the four former staff members behind the rescue bid, said: 'Of course we were disappointed not to receive anything from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, but we know that is a very competitive environment. "We do have the funding in place to create the fourth screen at the back of the Filmhouse. "However I would say that we still need to raise around £100,000 for the important work that we still want to do." Caroline Clark, National Lottery Heritage Fund director for Scotland, said: 'I can confirm that we did not award support to a recent project funding application relating to the Filmhouse. "We know this is very disappointing news. Unfortunately, we have a high level of competition for grants at every stage of the grant application process and we are unable to support all the applications we receive.'
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Aberdeen ‘set to battle Premiership rivals in transfer race for SPFL side's top scorer'
ABERDEEN have reportedly entered the race for one of Scottish football's hottest properties - but face stiff competition from several clubs. Jimmy Thelin is aiming to add more quality to his Scottish Cup winning squad this summer and one position he's looking at is a new striker. 2 Jimmy Thelin is keen to add to his squad Credit: Andrew Barr 2 He could snap up a top player in Scotland Credit: Willie Vass Kevin Nisbet is set to return to Millwall following his loan spell, while Oday Dabbagh's future at Pittodrie is currently unclear despite the Dons having an option to sign him permanently from Charleroi. Aberdeen have yet to trigger a deal for the Palestinian forward as things stand. Thelin, 47, is assessing his options elsewhere and is expected to complete at least one swoop for another hitman. And it looks like he's found his next man right here in Scotland. The Belfast Telegraph claim Aberdeen are readying move for Ross County talisman Ronan Hale. Hale, 26, is currently with the Northern Ireland squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Denmark and Iceland, but he will have a decision to make on his future when he returns to Dingwall. The former Cliftonville striker is expected to leave the Staggies after just one year following their relegation to the Championship. Hale scored two goals against Livingston in the Premiership play-off but he couldn't prevent his side from the drop and has likely played his last game for the club. It's said Aberdeen will face a battle to sign him as Dundee are also interested, along with a host of English clubs. EFL League One sides Wigan Athletic, Luton Town and Port Vale have all been reportedly keeping tabs on him as well. Aberdeen's Scottish Cup-winning heroes greeted by thousands on open top bus parade through the city after beating Celtic Hale scored 18 goals in all competitions for Ross County during the 2024/25 campaign. He could make his international bow for Michael O'Neil's side in the coming days after switching allegiances from the Republic of Ireland this year. The Staggies will command a healthy fee for the 26-year-old after he penned a three-year deal when he arrived at Dingwall last year. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
