2. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to resolve industrial action in schools. (S6T-01599)

Negotiations on local government pay are rightly between the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, which is the representative of the employer, local government and the trade unions that represent the workforce. As recently as last week, COSLA re-emphasised the importance of the Scottish Government respecting that negotiating arrangement.

We have worked constructively with COSLA to find a solution, provided £155 million at stage 3 of the budget to support a meaningful pay offer, and provided funding assurances for 2024-25. We have also worked with COSLA to identify an additional £80 million for the improved offer of 21 September, which was accepted by two of the three local government unions.

The First Minister made it clear that COSLA is not in control of its own budgets. Will the minister meet Unison to discuss how the dispute can finally be resolved?

It is important to recognise the appropriate negotiating forums. The Scottish Government frequently meets COSLA to continue to consider what more we can do to support it in finding a resolution to the dispute, which no one wants to continue. Obviously, it is important that we respect the trade unions’ right to withhold their labour—that is absolutely a right, which the Government supports—but we cannot overstate the impact of the closures on the children affected and their parents.

Will the Scottish Government set out a timescale to get to a minimum of £15 per hour pay for all local government workers?

That is one of the interesting aspects of Unison’s ask. One of the challenges that COSLA is reflecting to us is that, although two trade unions have accepted the offer, it is not 100 per cent sure what the ask of Unison is.

There is talk about the rate of £15 an hour. The Scottish Government and COSLA are certainly keen to look at language that might help. If that is what it takes to get a settlement that prevents more disruption of our children’s education, we should definitely sit round a table and discuss that.

Work is on-going across the Scottish Government on a much wider approach. It is important for the discussion of £15 an hour for local government workers to be part of that. We are agreeing to look at that, but it is clear that Unison is looking for something more.

To fund the teachers’ pay deal last year, the Government cut £155 million from elsewhere in the education budget. Does the Minister expect further cuts in the education budget when the Government inevitably intervenes to resolve the current dispute?

It is important to emphasise how hard COSLA and Scottish Government officials worked to identify the £80 million—which, to be fair, everyone thought was the ask of the unions to settle the dispute—in a way that did not impact on front-line services. That was not easy to do and it took a huge amount of work. It feels as if we have pushed that envelope to the end, which is why COSLA will be keen to talk about the road map to £15 an hour, because there could be a cost this year. This year is particularly difficult; we cannot change the income this year.

If there is a suggestion that that is where Unison is going, I hope that it articulates that clearly so that COSLA can discuss that with Unison. COSLA is working hard to discuss with Unison what the asks are, because no one wants the dispute to go on for any longer than it has to.

That concludes topical Question Time.