Union confirms dates for bin strikes across Scotland

Unison has confirmed strike dates for waste and refuse workers across Scotland over nine days next month.

The strikes, between 14 and 22 August, will affect 14 local authorities and come after members rejected a new pay deal.

Workers in Edinburgh will vote in a secondary ballot on whether to take part – which could hit the city’s festival season.

Finance Secretary Shona Robison said the Scottish government was committed to further negotiations.

Unite and GMB staff have also voted against accepting an offer but have yet to confirm strike dates.

Cosla described the deal – which would have seen workers receive a blanket 3.2% rise for a one-year period between 1 April this year and 31 March 2025 – as “strong, fair and credible”.

But Unison said talks had “not moved one iota” from a previous offer tabled by the body.

And on Tuesday it formally served notice of strike action.

It means parts of Scotland could see a repeat of scenes from the summer of 2022, when a strike among refuse workers in Edinburgh spread to other parts of the country.

• Clackmannanshire Council
• Dumfries & Galloway Council
• East Ayrshire Council
• East Lothian Council
• East Renfrewshire Council
• Fife (private contractor)
• Glasgow City Council
• Inverclyde Council
• Midlothian Council
• North Lanarkshire Council
• Perth & Kinross Council
• South Lanarkshire Council
• Stirling Council
• West Lothian Council

Strikes to take place from 14 August – 22 August

Overflowing bins and rubbish littering streets became a common sight before a pay agreement was eventually reached.

Ms Robison said meetings with union leaders and Cosla had been “productive” but no deal had yet been agreed.

She added the Scottish government was in “turbulent financial waters” following Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ statement on Monday.

Ms Robison added: “What is particularly worrying is that in her statement the Chancellor announced she is not fully funding the public sector pay deals she has accepted. Instead, cuts are being demanded across most of Whitehall.

“That means that we will not receive full Barnett consequentials from these pay deals.”

“It is amid this extremely challenging landscape then, that I have asked my officials to work at pace with local government officers to understand what an improved negotiating envelope may look like.”