Unison members accept two-year council pay deal
Unison Scotland's local government committee chairwoman Suzanne Gens said: 'This pay deal is a crucial step in turning round cuts to council staff pay.
'It gives local government workers some financial security now they know their pay will be higher than inflation over the next couple of years.
'This has only been achieved because of the determination of council workers to demand better.'
The union's co-lead for local government David O'Connor said there was 'no room for complacency', despite the offer being accepted.
'Local government has suffered over a decade of cuts,' he added.
'This pay deal shows what can be done when people stand together. Our campaign to protect council services continues.'
Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison welcomed the news, urging other unions to also accept the offer.
'I am delighted that Unison members have voted to accept this improved pay offer, which will see valued local government workers receive pay increases of 4% in 2025-26 and 3.5% in 2026-27,' she said.
'Although the Scottish Government has no formal role in local government pay negotiations, we recognise the importance of an agreement being reached by Cosla – as the employer – and trade unions.
'I would urge members of Unite and GMB to join Unison members in recognising the clear benefit of this offer so that all workers can get the pay they deserve without delay.'
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Scottish Sun
19 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Keir Starmer & John Swinney face difficult ‘balancing act' after Donald Trump admits he's in a grumpy mood
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SIR Keir Starmer and John Swinney face a difficult 'balancing act' in talks with Donald Trump - after the US President admitted he was in a grumpy mood. The Prime Minister will fly to Scotland on Monday morning to meet Mr Trump at his Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire for a 'wide-ranging' summit on issues including trade and the Israel-Hamas war. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Donald Trump is 'not in a good mood' before summit 3 The Prime Minister and First Minister are set to meet with the US President 3 He made the admission after he striking an EU trade deal Later, the PM and the First Minister will attend a banquet-style dinner hosted by the US leader in the north-east, ahead of him opening a new 18-hole golf course in honour of his late Scottish mother, Mary Anne Macleod, at Menie, Aberdeenshire, on Tuesday. But despite striking an EU trade deal, the unpredictable US President admitted he was 'not in a good mood' after a hectic weekend at Turnberry, where he juggled two rounds of golf with family time, presidential business, and a flurry of social media blasts taking aim at rivals back home. A senior SNP insider admitted that today's multiple summits - including an expected one-to-one between Mr Trump and Mr Swinney in the north-east - amounted to 'a difficult balancing act for everyone', with both the PM and FM expected to try to pressure Mr Trump on thorny issues including trade tariffs and reviving stalled Gaza peace talks. Speaking in the first of two press conferences with White House reporters, journalists suggested he seemed in a good mood. But Mr Trump replied: 'I'm actually not in a good mood' - prompting a nervous smile and a raised eyebrow from Ms von der Leyen. The President insisted it was nothing to do with imminent talks with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, and asked why he was in a bad mood and if it was to do with his latest golf round, Mr Trump said: 'No, the golf was beautiful. Golf can never be bad.' But minutes later, a tetchy-sounding President launched into another of his trademark attacks on windfarms, which he famously battled against - in vain - off the Aberdeenshire coast. In a two-and-half minute blast, he claimed he would 'not allow a windmill to be built in the US' as 'they're killing the beauty of our scenery, our valleys, our beautiful planes - and I'm not talking about aeroplanes, I'm talking about beautiful planes, beautiful areas in the US'. He said 'almost all' were made in China and 'when they start to rust and rot in eight years, you can't really turn them off, you can't bury them'. Mr Trump said windmills 'kill the birds' and said: 'You have a certain place in the Massachusetts area that over the last 20 years had one or two whales wash ashore .. cause it's driving them loco. It's driving them crazy.' TRUMP V WINDMILLS Slamming windfarms off the Ayrshire coast, he said 'I mean, today, I'm playing the best course I think in the world, Turnberry - even though I own it, it's probably the best course in the world, right - and I look over the horizon and I see nine windmills right at the end of the 18th hole. 'And I said, 'Isn't that a shame? What a shame.' UK and Scottish government aides are known to be on edge about today's talks with Mr Trump, which will take place between the PM and President at Turnberry, before the pair fly together to Aberdeen, where Mr Swinney will then meet the US leader. All three will then attend a private ceremonial dinner said to involve a 'broad range' of guests including politicians and business figures. Sir Keir is under intense pressure from Labour backbenchers and opposition parties including the SNP to push Mr Trump for the US to revive Gaza ceasefire talks, and also to further the recent UK-US trade deal by pressuring for the removal of punishing ten per cent tariffs on products including Scotch whisky. And Mr Swinney is under fire from left-wingers in the SNP and at Holyrood for even meeting with Mr Trump. The First Minister was blasted by critics at the weekend for announcing £180,000 to help Mr Trump's Menie course to host a golf comp, which wannabe Greens leader Ross Greer claimed was like 'bending the knee' to the US President or 'giving the school bully your lunch money'. A senior Nats source defended Mr Swinney's approach, with the Tories also accusing him of hypocrisy after claims he had last wee 'whipped up' anti-Trump protests, but was now trying to curry favour with the world's most powerful man. The insider said 'There will be complaints about our approach to Trump whatever we do. 'The funding for the event at Trump International Golf Links was a positive announcement and it's our job to make the best of this visit as we possibly can.' Tomorrow morning Mr Trump will carry out the ceremonial opening of the Macleod course at his Menie estate, which it emerged on Saturday was set to get £180,000 from the Scottish Government's tourism and events organisation, VisitScotland, to support its hosting of the 2025 Nexo Championship next month. Police lock down Scots country park and beach ahead of Donald Trump's arrival HOLIDAYMAKERS have been ordered to leave a country park boasting one of Scotland's best beaches as police prepared for Donald Trump's visit to his nearby golf course. Visitors were told to vacate the beauty spot as security is beefed up ahead of US president's trip to his neighbouring Menie Estate in Aberdeenshire tomorrow. Officers locked down Balmedie Country Park and its coastal stretch — which has won 20 awards for the quality of its sand and water. Locals have vowed to protest after the Scottish Government announced a tournament held at his Trump International resort is being given £180,000 of taxpayers' cash. An onlooker said: 'Police were shutting off the beach and the park. 'It's one of the country's best and we're in the middle of the school holidays. 'Trump doesn't own it so it feels ridiculous that people who live here are being told to leave. "Loads of people were told to go. 'Is it any wonder most people around here hate him so much?' Downing Street last night said Mr Trump and Sir Keir are expected to discuss progress on implementing the UK-US trade deal agreed in May, hopes for a ceasefire in the Middle East and applying pressure on Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. It comes amid pressure on Starmer from Labour MPs to urge the US to rejoin Israel-Hamas peace talks, amid the starvation of kids in Gaza. No10 said in a statement that the 'strength of the UK-US relationship will be on display again' as the PM meets Mr Trump in 'for wide-ranging talks'. It said: 'The leaders are expected to talk one-on-one about advancing implementation of the landmark Economic Prosperity Deal so that Brits and Americans can benefit from boosted trade links between their two countries. 'The Prime Minister is also expected to welcome the President's administration working with partners in Qatar and Egypt to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza. 'Mr Trump's visit comes amid mounting global anger over the humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Police lock down Scots country park and beach ahead of Donald Trump's arrival Foreign Secretary David Lammy said access to aid in Gaza must be 'urgently accelerated', after air drops by Jordan and the United Arab Emirates yesterday. It came hours after Israel opened up aid corridors and 'refuted' the 'false claim of intentional starvation'. Mr Swinney said: 'My meeting with the US President during his visit to Scotland presents a significant opportunity to speak up for the issues that matter to people in Scotland on the highest platform. Global, humanitarian issues are rightly at the forefront of many people's minds. 'It is of utmost importance that we discuss what action can be taken to end the horrific suffering we are witnessing around the world, particularly the unimaginable hardship being endured by people in Gaza and the need for an urgent ceasefire. 'Both the US President and I share a fundamental desire to build peace across the world and to end the suffering endured by so many. I hope that our discussion helps to further that aim.' Mr Trump will visit the UK again in September for the official state visit announced earlier this year. But a senior whisky industry source warned: 'If the PM comes away from the Trump visit with nothing more on trade there will be serious questions to answer about whether he really fought as hard as possible for Scotland and the UK's interests, or if he just went there and tried not to upset Trump.'
ITV News
an hour ago
- ITV News
What do locals in Scotland think of Donald Trump?
Donald Trump is on a trip to Scotland, but what do people make of his visit? ITV News' Ben Chapman reports from Turnberry The US President Donald Trump is now halfway through his private visit to Scotland. He is here primarily to play golf and to open his newest course, but he is fitting in meetings with the prime minister, first minister and president of the European Commission. He is famously proud of his Scottish heritage, but what do people here make of this unusual presidential visit? Locals in Girvan, the closest town to Trump's luxury golf resort, had mixed views ahead of his arrival on Friday. One man said: 'There's enough trouble going on in the world at the moment without Donald Trump coming to Scotland to play golf. He's flying thousands of miles for a game of golf. I think his focus should be elsewhere. If anything good comes of it, then great, but I have my doubts.' While a woman said: 'I think it's great that he visits Scotland because his mother is from Scotland and he has invested a lot in Scotland. "He employs a lot of people in the region, and he looks after the places where he is running his business, which is great for this local economy.' "He's just such a controversial figure, and I just don't understand what he's up to. He's just causing chaos and confusion around the whole world," another man said. 'The US government won't be paying for it because it's a private trip, so I think the bill will land at the doorstep of the Scottish people. He should take some of his profits and pay for the expenses.' This mother and daughter had different views on whether Trump's visit was welcome or not. The mother said: 'I don't think it's worth it. Not for a private visit. There will be local disruption, and there is a cost implication as well. I mean, the Americans will obviously pick up some of the security, but there will also be an obligation on Police Scotland. I mean not just to police the visit but also the protests that are going to obviously result over the weekend.' Meanwhile, her daughter said Trump "brings a lot of good things to the community here". "I don't agree with everything that he does politics wise, but I think he's done a lot for the area, and I think, well, good luck to him," she added. On Friday night at Prestwick airport, more than 1,000 people camped out with deck chairs and picnic blankets to catch a glimpse of Air Force One touching down on Scottish soil. Many waited for hours to claim their spot. Surprisingly, there were no obvious protesters. Instead, the crowd was made up of dedicated plane spotters and locals who were excited to have the President of the United States and his plane land in their town. Some wore Make America Great Again caps and carried pro-Trump flags to welcome him. Samuel Ackroyd and James Swan were among those who waited more than eight hours to catch a glimpse of Air Force One. They told ITV News: 'I like Trump, but it's mainly about seeing Air Force One. 'This is a big bucket list item for aviation enthusiasts. Many of us want to see the Boeing 747-200. 'It's a great privilege to see the President of the United States land here.' A mother and her son, who came down from Fife, said: 'We've come down from Fife today to see President coming for the first time. We've never plane spotted in Ayr before but we wanted to be here today for this.' On Saturday morning, Trump was out on the golf course bright and early, but unlike his last visit as president, there were no protesters on the beach next to the Turnberry course. There was just the odd Trump supporter hanging around to try and see him in person. This couple travelled to Ayrshire from Liverpool to show their support. The man said: 'We support MAGA (Make America Great Again) and Trump and what he's doing. We've just made our way down to the golf course to try and catch a glimpse of him. Mainly because it might be the only chance we ever get to see him here. I know he's doing a state visit in London, but that will be all private escorts and everything, so we thought we'd try to see him while we can.' In the afternoon, planned anti-Trump protests took place in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, far from the president's eyes. Many there said they were frustrated and angry that he is being welcomed by our prime minister and first minister, and that he is coming on a private golfing trip that is costing taxpayers here. 'Trump's not welcome in Scotland. He has done too much damage globally. He's a global leader, but he doesn't like one or think like one. And we didn't vote for him here, yet he's here in Scotland today, and we're not happy about it. "He claims Scottish heritage, but he is not from Scotland. He doesn't share our values. We care about people. We care about diversity. Scotland has people in every single country in the world. He's just focusing on making America great. What does that even mean? It doesn't mean anything.' 'He wants to come and see his businesses, then let him pay for the security. Let him pay for the police. He's always bragging about how rich is, even though he didn't release his tax returns. So let him use some of all that money that he's had from all that winning and all those fantastic trade deals. 'He keeps telling everyone he's really wealthy and he's got all this money. Let him pay for it. I see, absolutely no reason why we should pay one penny for that orange walloper.' 'I am an American living here now, and he is just an embarrassment. I don't even want to go back to America right now. This is just a little part I can do because I'm not there. I can still vote, but I can't go to any protest there, so I just want to come out here and support everyone. I feel good that there are other people sharing my sentiment. 'He's like an evil genius. I don't know what it is, but he's Teflon Don. That's his nickname. These people are just kissing the ring because they feel they need to. "And I think once he is gone, whether it's a cheeseburger too many or whatever, I think it'll all go away because I don't think anybody has his level of depravity.' On Monday, Trump is set to meet the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer. On Tuesday, he will open his new golf course in Aberdeenshire, which is named after his Scottish mother, Mary Anne MacLeod. He is due to leave Scotland on Tuesday afternoon.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
MIKEY SMITH: 7 unhinged Donald Trump Scotland moments as he moans nobody thanked him for Gaza aid
Donald Trump is still in Scotland, for some reason using it as a base to agree trade deals between the US and other countries Donald Trump is still in Scotland, for some reason using it as a base to agree trade deals between the US and other countries. But at least we're all paying millions of pounds to ensure he can do that - and play some golf - without any pesky protesters bothering him. He welcomed Ursula Von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, to his Scottish White House - and very rapidly agreed a trade deal with her. Like, in less than an hour. And he, obviously, had another rant about wind farms. Here's everything you need to know about the happenings in Trump World: Scotland. Buckle up. 1. He went golfing with a motorcade of 27 vehicles - including one very special one back out on the course this morning for a chilly second morning of his golf holiday in Scotland. He was seen on his Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire, being transported between transported between holes in a motorcade of 26 golf carts plus one curious vehicle. This thing appears to be an articulated, secret service golf buggy. Sort of a golf equivalent of the Beast. It has reportedly been dubbed "Golf Force One". His adult sons Eric and Don Jr were both with him on the course. 2. Some British fans came to see him at the golf course. And by some we mean three There was no sign of anti-Trump protesters outside the golf course this morning - three British Trump fans were out on the hill next to Turnberry. They wore Make America Great Again hats, waved small US flags and held a sign that read "Don't trust Starmer". Trump waved and blew a kiss towards the fans before he took his shot. Tom English, one of the group who had travelled from Blackburn, said: "I can't believe we're the only ones, to be fair. I thought there'd be more people." Asked why he'd travelled so far to support the leader of another country, Mr English said: "I've just loved him from day one when he ran. I like the way he speaks, his personality, the comedy gold he comes out with. "He had me at Rosie O'Donnell to be honest with you." Ms O'Donnell has been the target of a long running campaign of abuse by Trump, who earlier this month threatened to revoke her citizenship. "I've supported him all the way through. It's just because he'a not one of them, basically. He came in, said he's going to drain the swamp, end the deep state and that's what he's trying to do." 3. One Brit said he'd totally sussed out Trump's plan for the Epstein files "I can see what's happening," said Tom English, who travelled from Blackburn to see Trump in the flesh. He said he was not bothered by the scandal - here's why. "If you follow Trump from day one, and you know how he works, and you've read his book, The Art of the Deal, and you know he's studied the art of war, then you can see the tactics he's using." Asked what the tactics he's using are, Tom said: "The Dems don't want it releasing. You've got judges and people in congress who don't want the Epstein files releasing for years on end now. "So he says, it's all fake. It's fake news. The Democrats are making it up. "All of a sudden it's the Republicans that are blocking it and the Democrats are voting for it to be released." Still with us? Good. He went on: "Now what will happen is he'll order the MAGA lot to reverse the vote, and they'll be Trump won't be in there. "But his adversaries will. That's my prediction." So, to recap, the whole of the last few weeks, where Trump has been pulling out all the stops to divert attention away from discussions about the Epstein files, has been a massive red herring. It's a sneaky ruse to trick the Democrats into releasing the files - because it's only them who will actually be damaged by them. This seems like a high risk strategy to us, especially considering the weight of evidence and reporting that contradicts every element of it. 4. He threatened to have Beyonce prosecuted Trump posted a massively unhinged rant on Truth Social, during which he threatened to have Beyonce and Oprah Winfrey prosecuted over things that never happened. It comes down to a baseless, evidence-free nonsense conspiracy theory posted online by people who made it up out of thin air, which claims Beyonce charged Kamala Harris $11m for her endorsement, and Oprah claimed £3m for expenses. Trump wrote: "I'm looking at the large amount of money owed by the Democrats, after the Presidential Election, and the fact that they admit to paying, probably illegally, Eleven Million Dollars to singer Beyoncé for an ENDORSEMENT (she never sang, not one note, and left the stage to a booing and angry audience!), Three Million Dollars for "expenses," to Oprah, Six Hundred Thousand Dollars to very low rated TV "anchor," Al Sharpton (a total lightweight!), and others to be named for doing, absolutely NOTHING! These ridiculous fees were incorrectly stated in the books and records." Not a word of the above sentence (and yes, it is one sentence) is true. He went on: "YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PAY FOR AN ENDORSEMENT. IT IS TOTALLY ILLEGAL TO DO SO. Can you imagine what would happen if politicians started paying for people to endorse them. All hell would break out! Kamala, and all of those that received Endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted! Thank you for your attention to this matter." Nobody did any of this. It was made up. 5. He moaned that he didn't get enough thanks for sending food to Gaza Speaking ahead of his negotiations with Ursula Von der Leyen, Trump admitted he was "not in a good mood." He fumed about America not getting more credit for sending humanitarian aid to Gaza. "We gave $60 million two weeks ago and nobody even acknowledged it, for food," he said. "And it's terrible. You know, you really at least want to have somebody say thankyou. No other country gave anything. We gave $60 million two weeks ago for food for Gaza and nobody acknowledged it." He went on: "And nobody said 'Gee, thankyou very much'. And that would be nice, to have at least a thankyou." Get Donald Trump updates straight to your WhatsApp! As the world attempts to keep up with Trump's antics, the Mirror has launched its very own US Politics WhatsApp community where you'll get all the latest news from across the pond. We'll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in. All you have to do to join is click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group. We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. 6. In case anyone didn't know already, he explicitly gave away why he hates wind turbines so much In his extended disco remix rant ahead of a relatively brief negotiation with Von der Leyon, Trump somehow managed to weave onto talking about wind farms. At length. Again. But in case you were wondering why the subject was on his mind, he gave the game away: "Today, I'm playing the best course I think in the world. Turnberry. "Even though I own it, it's probably the best course in the world. "And I look over the horizon and I see 9 windmills at the end of the 18th. I say, isn't that a shame?" 7. He insists he didn't rush through the EU trade deal to distract from the Epstein scandal We actually kind of believe him on this one. This seems to be a fairly natural reaction.
