Dates confirmed for bin strikes as workers to walk out across Scotland

Strike dates for cleansing workers across Scotland have been confirmed for next month.

Unison, Unite and GMB members from 26 local authorities will take part in the action from August 14 until August 22.

Edinburgh will be among the areas affected with the city’s festival season due to get under way on Thursday.

It comes after workers rejected the latest 3.2% pay offer from councils, claiming it failed to match the escalating cost of living.

The unions have said they will only suspend strike action if a fair and credible offer is tabled.

However, local authority body COSLA said the current offer is the “limit of affordability for councils” but that they would be working to find a resolution “as quickly as possible”.

Finance secretary Shona Robison met with union leaders and COSLA on Tuesday and reiterated the Scottish Government’s commitment to further negotiations but said it had no “formal role” in the pay talks.

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Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in public services, said talks with the Scottish Government and COSLA had been “constructive” but workers needed a fair pay deal.

“The process has gone on too long with too little progress,” he said.

“There is no more time to waste talking about old offers with new wrapping. Enough is enough.

“Industrial action will start in two weeks unless ministers and local authorities urgently identify the money needed to make a fair and acceptable offer.

“These strikes will be disruptive to all the Scots who rely on our members’ work but would not be necessary if councils had shown a greater urgency and sense of realism.”

Speaking on Tuesday, Robison said: “We are navigating turbulent financial waters. This week’s statement from the Chancellor revealed the extent of the challenges facing the public sector across the UK.

“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.

“I welcomed the willingness of COSLA and trade union leaders to engage constructively with that process.”

COSLA’s spokesperson said local authorities had articulated the financial challenges facing councils in relation to meeting pay claims.

They added: “We are disappointed to hear that Unions have announced strike dates in some areas so soon after a constructive joint meeting with Scottish Government took place yesterday, and while negotiations are still ongoing.

“Our Trade Union partners are aware that considerable work is being done at pace to explore all options. We continue to re-iterate that with no new funding in place, the 3.2% offer is the limit of affordability for councils in the current challenging financial circumstances.

“We value our workforce and are working to find a resolution as quickly as possible.”

Unison Scotland local government chair Colette Hunter said: “Strikes are always the last resort. But local government staff have seen the value of their wages reduced by a quarter over the past 14 years.”

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham added: “Thousands of Unite members will take strike action next month unless there is a new credible pay offer put on the table.

“Our membership has waited months for an offer which reflects their professionalism and the dedication which they put into delivering vital local services.”

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