Aberdeen City Council has avoided industrial action by doing a U-turn and conceding to union demands over the introduction of an equal pay agreement which proposed salary cuts of up to £16,000.
The authority is the second to crumble in the face of industrial action over attempts to implement an equal pay strategy which was nationally agreed six years ago. Moray Council withdrew its proposals in July after industrial action and has now entered talks which are unlikely to produce any results this year.
Neither side was prepared to release any details of the deal, which is expected to be signed by the unions this morning.
However, it is understood that the council will withdraw the letters sent out to about 9,500 staff, which told about 2,000 of them they faced pay cuts after job re-evaluations. The council will also apologise for its actions and share with the unions the information used to determine the new pay calculations.
