A SENIOR Fife councillor has stressed that local authority workers need to be “the priority” of the Scottish Government.

Cllr Altany Craik, the council’s spokesperson for finance and economy, blasted comments from John Swinney and said it was "small wonder that workers are voting for strike action".

The Labour councillor said: “We value the work of our workers, it is apparent that the Scottish Government do not. Warm words and blaming the UK Government won’t cut it, we need a pay rise for our staff in the face of the cost of living crisis."

The depute first minister has called on Westminster to step in and provide additional funding, stating that Scotland does not have the same “flexibility” within its budget to react to inflationary pressures as the UK Government does.

He said the situation facing the public purse in this country had “changed dramatically” over the last few months.

“When the funding settlements for Scotland were agreed at the end of last year, the events of the last few months have changed dramatically the economic outlook, particularly in relation to inflationary pressures, both on government and individuals within our society through the cost of living,” he said.

Mr Swinney argued that as a result of this, the Scottish Government were having to wrestle with “much higher” public pay demands as workers see their wages fail to keep up with rampant inflation, which is around 10 per cent.

But Cllr Craik said the comments from the depute first minister were “frankly astonishing” and said funds should be found by the Scottish Government.

“To pretend that the paymasters of council funding over the last 15 years have no hand in the state of our finances is disingenuous at best and risible,” he said.

“To meet a fair pay rise for the workers, clapped and hailed as heroes over the pandemic, will mean financial support from the Scottish Government.

“Public sector workers have faced years of freezes and below inflation rises that they have had to bear and now, in the face of 10 per cent inflation, the Scottish Government are trying to blame anyone else they can.

“It is small wonder that workers are voting for strike action as the last resort.”

Cllr Craik said COSLA, the umbrella organisation for local authorities, had been put in the “terrible position” of saying that they cannot offer more without government financial support.

He added: “Our workers need to be the priority of the Scottish Government and not an afterthought.”

As previously reported by the Press, Fife Council workers last week voted in favour of strike action due to the dispute over pay.

It is one of 26 authorities facing industrial action after Unite trade union members rejected a two per cent pay rise offer.