Thousands of Glasgow council workers face pay cuts under fire-and-rehire plan

Thousands of Glasgow council workers are facing the prospect of being dismissed and rehired on less favourable terms, in one of the largest fire-and-rehire exercises seen in UK local government, after negotiations between the council and trade unions collapsed.

About 23,000 workers, covering all of the council's non-teaching staff, were informed last week that they could be affected after talks between the SNP-led council and the GMB, Unison and Unite unions broke down for a second time.

The negotiations centred on a new pay and grading system intended to resolve long-standing pay equality issues within the council's workforce. Despite the stated aim of correcting historical disparities, unions have raised concerns about the impact of the proposed changes on a significant share of employees.

Unison has refused to put the offer to a ballot of its members, saying it would result in pay cuts for roughly 11% of council employees. That refusal appears to have prompted the council to begin issuing fire-and-rehire letters to affected staff.

Fire-and-rehire, in which employers formally dismiss staff and then offer to re-employ them on new contract terms, has been a contentious practice in UK employment relations, with unions arguing it undermines negotiated terms while employers sometimes present it as necessary for restructuring pay.

The dispute adds to wider tensions between local authorities and public sector unions over pay as councils across the UK manage budget pressures alongside equal pay claims.