Two unions, Unite and GMB, have suspended strike action next week however Unison has refused the latest pay offer.

Schools will still close for three days as staff including cleaners and caretakers walk out over pay.

Unite the union has announced it will suspend strike action planned for next week as it plans to ballot its membership on a new offer from councils.

Following a meeting of the union’s local government committee, leaders have recommended the offer – which will see the lowest wage see an uplift of £2,000 – be accepted.

Strike action, however, will not be averted on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of next week after Unison leaders rejected the latest offer on Thursday.

Unite represents members in 11 of the 26 impacted council areas.

Graham McNab, Unite’s lead negotiator for local government, said: “Unite’s local government committee has agreed to suspend the scheduled strike action next week.

“We will now hold a ballot involving our members on the new pay offer which comes with a recommendation for acceptance.”

“Unite’s primary objective all along has been to negotiate a credible offer that addresses chronic low pay in local government. It is an offer that should have been put on the table months ago if it were not for the dithering and blundering by Cosla and Scottish Government ministers.”

“We believe the offer makes sufficient progress on low pay, and it is one that our wider membership should have its say on.”

The ballot of union members will open on September 26 and close on October 17.

The GMB union has also announced it will suspend planned strikes in Scotland next week to allow members to consider a new pay deal.

Members of the union working in non-teaching roles were due to take action in 10 local authorities next week.

GMB Scotland senior organiser for public services Keir Greenaway said: “It would be wrong to suggest this offer is not a clear improvement on those that came before it, especially for the lowest paid workers.

“GMB is a trade union led by its members and it is absolutely right they are asked to decide on what is a significantly better offer.

“Cosla has itself highlighted how far it has advanced since April, which only begs the question why it took so many months to make an offer worth discussing with our members.

“We remain disappointed it took first the threat and then the looming reality of strike action in Scotland’s schools before we saw any sign of leadership from Cosla.

“Whatever our members decide, lessons should be learned from these needlessly protracted negotiations to ensure workers, parents and pupils do not endure similar uncertainty in future.”