MSP staff could walk out over pay

Staff employed by MSPs stand to receive real terms cuts to their pay, should the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body follow through with plans to restrict the increase in the Staff Cost Provision (SCP) - the funds from which MSP staff are paid - to just 1.4%.

The cut would affect the take home pay of parliamentary researchers, constituency caseworkers and communications staff directly employed by MSPs.

The SCP is uprated annually in line with the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) conducted by the Office for National Statistics. According to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), the relevant ASHE 2019 figure would be 1.4%, which would prevent MSPs from affording their own staff a pay rise of 3% in line with the Scottish Government’s own public sector pay policy.

GMB has called an urgent meeting of its Scottish Labour Parliamentary Staff branch for next week to step up plans to fight the cuts.

GMB Scotland Organiser Keir Greenaway said: “MSP staff are on the frontline of Scottish democracy, providing the vital link between the public and our elected representatives in Holyrood.

“What is the point in the Scottish Government setting a pay policy if the MSPs that agree it can’t pay it to their own staff?

“We’ll be meeting with our members to agree next steps, but the Corporate Body should be in no doubt - if they push ahead with plans to cut staff pay we will ballot for industrial action.”