Half of Scotland’s councils set for bin strikes

Waste and recycling staff in half of Scotland’s councils have voted to strike in a dispute over pay.

After rejecting a pay offer in May, Unite members have now voted to strike in 16 local authorities including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen.

The union said the current pay offer from Cosla to local government workers fell significantly short of what they deserved.

Local government body Cosla defended its pay offer and urged the unions to reconsider the decision to take industrial action.

On Monday, GMB confirmed that its members in waste services had also voted to strike in 13 council areas.

A bin strike was held for 12 days over the Edinburgh Festival two years ago which led to a huge backlog of waste littering the capital’s streets.

Unite said thousands of its members would take strike action in the following council areas:

• Aberdeen
• Angus
• Edinburgh
• Dumfries & Galloway
• Dundee
• East Ayrshire
• East Renfrewshire
• Fife
• Glasgow
• Inverclyde
• North Ayrshire
• North Lanarkshire
• Renfrewshire
• South Ayrshire
• The Highlands
• West Lothian

The union said strike dates would be revealed in the coming days, but warned that they could begin in two weeks’ time and impact the Edinburgh Festival.

Cosla said it had tabled an offer, which runs from 1 April to 30 September next year.

It would result in a 2.2% uplift from 1 April, with a further 2% uplift taking effect from 1 October.

But Unite industrial officer Graham McNab called the pay offer “pitiful”.

“This situation is entirely in the hands of Cosla and the Scottish government who can resolve this dispute at any moment by making a significantly improved pay offer,” he added.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “After years of cuts to council pay and services, years of chronic underfunding and understaffing, our membership is saying no more. Enough.

“They have Unite’s unequivocal support in the fight for better jobs, pay and conditions across Scottish local government.”

The GMB said its members in waste services in 13 Scottish councils had achieved a mandate for strike action on Monday, including in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Fife, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, Aberdeenshire, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, and Stirling.

Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland’s senior organiser for public services, said: “Year after year, these talks have been needlessly drawn out.

“That leaves our members – typically the lowest paid working on the frontline of our services – without the pay rise they need. Inflation may be stabilising, but can anyone say they feel the difference?

“Council leaders refuse to have meaningful talks – all while blocking the Scottish government’s intervention to deliver a pay offer that matches our members’ value. They are counting down the clock while our members go without.”

A Cosla spokeswoman said: “Cosla has made a strong offer at the limits of affordability for councils, a position reiterated by council leaders at their meeting last Friday.

“In the context of lowering inflation and a ‘flat cash’ budget settlement from Scottish government, it remains important to reward our valued workforce appropriately.

“We urge our unions to reconsider their decision to reject the offer.

“We are disappointed that industrial action is now being planned by some of our trade unions in some council areas and concerned that it is to be targeted at waste services, once again raising potential public health risks.”

She said the Scottish government respected the union’s role in seeking the best pay settlement and it remained committed to doing the best by its workforce.