SCOTLAND'S largest union is writing to all 1200-plus councillors across the country asking for their support in calls for a pay rise.

Unison is sending out ballots to its members in local government on strike action in an attempt to secure a better offer than the 1% on the table.

Unite is also to begin issuing ballot papers to members in the dispute over the first rise offer in three years.

Unison said a recent consultation with its 75,000 local government members found 60% were against accepting the offer.

Cosla, the umbrella body for Scotland's councils, has already publicly criticised the stance of both unions, describing their position as "crazy" and saying its offer "betters that already accepted in England and Wales" by the union.

The email to councillors claims there is money available to improve the offer.

If members vote yes, the unions say there would be a minimum of three days of strike action over a seven week period in the autumn. Two of these would be national one-day strikes.

Unison's Scottish Secretary, Mike Kirby, said: "We believe a better pay offer is affordable – and it would in fact benefit local economies in a big way as council workers spend more than half their wages locally."

But Cosla's HR spokesman, Councillor Billy Hendry, said: "Nowhere else in the UK outside London has a better offer been made to local government employees."