Following the councillors approving the pay and grading scheme on August 2026, Glasgow City Council met with GMB along with sister trade unions Unison and Unite.
GCC asked the 3 unions to agree to ballot members to decide to accept or reject the pay and grading.
GMB Scotland sent a communication to its membership at Glasgow City Council on 24 September 2025 to update them on the discussions.
GCC did not have agreement from all 3 trade unions and so issued a communication to its workforce stating that the council would move to issue Fire and Rehire letters.
Glasgow City Council, the biggest local authority in Scotland, was resorting to this rogue practice as an employer. GMB Branch 74 condemns any employer but especially a public services employer for moving to do such an action.
Thankfully, on Friday 25 September 2026 the council has agreed to pause their plan for fire and rehire letters to be sent out and will now move to meet with trade unions this week to discuss again the way forward.
The amount of stress and distress the council caused its employees with their message on the eve of September weekend is nothing but atrocious and shameful.
GMB Branch 74 believes in the right of GMB members to be balloted on whether to accept or reject the pay and grading scheme.
However Branch 74 strongly condemns Glasgow City Council for placing our members in further distress.
Not every worker is going to see an increase in their pay. A number of workers are already worrying about the pay detriment, they did not deserve to be treated with such contempt on Thursday 24 September 2026 with the fire and rehire letter intent of GCC.
No public services employer regardless of what party or management is in charge of it should be allowed to use fire and rehire to bully their workforce in this way in order for the employer to impose their will on staff.
GMB Branch 74 stands with our membership on the right to be treated with dignity, to be balloted and to be challenge pay detriment where there is grounds to do so.
Workers need to be standing together to fight pay injustice, pay detriment and to protect workers from poorer terms and conditions.
Article for reading: https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/glasgow-city-council-to-fire-and-rehire-23000-workers/
Posted: 28