Glasgow bin workers 'dealing with rats daily' as cleansing strike looms

Bin workers have declared a rat endemic in the Glasgow with cleansing staff saying they are dealing with rodents “every day”.

GMB union members have described the scale of the rubbish and rat problem in Glasgow as at ‘crisis level’.

It comes as national strike action could paralyze bin collections during August, targeting big events across the country – like the Edinburgh Fringe.

Workers in Glasgow have turned to Cludgey, a seven-foot inflatable rat, to highlight the scale of the problem, claiming the rat has become the symbol of the city.

Chris Mitchell told STV: “Glasgow needs a reset and a deep clean. There’s rubbish piling up and there’s rats everywhere. The place is a mess.

“Cuts have consequences and you can’t cut your way out of a crisis.”

“We’re in the midst of a crisis”, he claimed, “particularly the rat epidemic”.

“Our members deserve better. I’m hoping Cosla and the Scottish Government take on board the businesses and the workers and get around the table and come up with a credible offer so we can avert strike action.

‘If you want a café culture, you can’t have a rat culture’

Glasgow City Council has announced plans to regenerate the city but workers say the plans won’t work unless there’s a deep clean and a serious solution to tackling the scale of the rodent infestation.

“You go abroad the cities are pristine”, John Slaven from the GMB Union told STV News.

“We are 100% behind this plan to regenerate this city. Our members work and live in this city but if you want a café culture you can’t have a rat culture.

Rubbish is expected to pile up as cleansing workers go on strike STV News

“You’ve got hot areas across the city where we all know there’s going to be rats and the residents know. People will come up to you and it’s a daily discussion about rats.”

Videos shown to STV News show bins full of rats across the city.

The body representing local authorities, Colsa, presented an updated pay offer to cleansing workers across Scotland of 3.2% which was rejected by Unison members on Friday.

Unison accused Cosla, which represents all Scottish local authorities, of making an offer that does not truly benefit its council workers, which includes waste, recycling and street cleaning staff.

Unison members in 13 Scottish local authorities have now voted to strike.

Fellow unions GMB and Unite are expected to make a decision on strike action on Monday.

GMB said its staff spoke with Cosla negotiators on Friday to discuss the revised pay offer, and says its Scotland local government committee will make a decision on Monday.

They said their offer is “strong, fair and credible”.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: “Local government pay negotiations are a matter for local authorities as employers and unions – the Scottish Government has no formal role. While we respect workers’ rights, no one’s interests are served by industrial action, which will harm communities and people.

“The Scottish Government urges all parties involved to work together constructively and reach an agreement which is fair for the workforce and affordable for employers.”