Council waste workers set for eight-day strike in August, unions confirm

Council waste workers in Scotland are to walk out on strike next month, with union leaders warning the action will be “disruptive”.

Unison, the largest local government union, confirmed staff in 13 council areas will walk out for more than a week in August.

The GMB said its members will take action over the same eight days in August, including staff at Edinburgh City Council who will strike during the capital’s busy summer festival period.

Scotland’s largest city, Glasgow, will also be affected by the action, which is due to start at 5am on Wednesday August 14 and last until 4.59am on Thursday August 22.

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GMB members in 18 of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas will strike, and the union said the action will mean bins are not emptied “from the smallest villages to the biggest cities”.

It comes amid a dispute over council workers’ pay, with the three unions involved – Unison, Unite and the GMB – having all rejected a 3.2% pay rise offered by local government body Cosla.

While talks between the unions, Cosla leaders and Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison took place on Tuesday, a deal to end the dispute has not yet been reached.

Union chiefs have already warned of the prospect of a “stinking summer” as rubbish builds up uncollected, and the GMB has now confirmed the strike dates for its members, which it said will go ahead unless councils and ministers “urgently identify the money needed to make a fair and acceptable offer”.

A similar dispute, which saw rubbish pile up on the streets of Edinburgh during the festival season in 2022, only ended when the Scottish Government provided extra funds to councils for workers’ pay.

Cosla said on Wednesday council leaders only have “very limited options” available to resolve the dispute, although resources spokeswoman Katie Hagmann insisted they will “explore all options to avoid industrial action”.

Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser, said the 3.2% offer failed to keep pace with the cost of living and was below the rise offered to council workers in England.

While he said talks with Cosla and the Government had been “constructive”, he added: “Our members are less interested in constructive talks than fair pay.

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

Unison Scotland local government leader David O’Connor said while the talks had been “positive” they had taken place “too late to prevent strike notices being served”.

Unison workers in 13 areas will strike between August 14 and 22, with Mr O’Connor saying: “We’re forcing employers and Government to focus on trying to find a settlement.”

Collette Hunter, Unison Scotland’s local government chairwoman, added: “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.

“They’re simply asking for a pay deal that recognises the essential services they deliver and starts to address years of below-inflation pay settlements.

“Cosla and the Scottish Government must understand the anger among council staff. They are resolute and strikes will go ahead unless a solution can be found.”

Ms Hagmann said the talks on Tuesday had given Cosla the chance to “articulate the financial challenges facing local government in relation to meeting pay claims”.

She added: “It was an open and honest dialogue about how challenging the situation is in relation to council finances.

“Whilst no immediate solution was identified, officers will now undertake further work at pace in the coming days to explore all options to avoid industrial action.”

She stressed to the Finance Secretary “the very limited options available to local government, and that any solution needs to be both affordable and sustainable”.

Ms Hagmann continued: “Cosla remains committed to continuing our negotiations towards finding a solution as quickly as possible, seeking to do all we can to avoid industrial action and its damaging impact on our communities.

“Council leaders value the local government workforce and their essential work across our communities, they recognise the workforce pressures and the need to reward equitably.”

Speaking after the talks on Tuesday evening, Ms Robison said her officials will now “work at pace with local government officers to understand what an improved negotiating envelope may look like”.

While the Scottish Conservatives are demanding that First Minister John Swinney intervenes in a bid to resolve the dispute, Ms Robison stressed the Government has “no formal role in local pay negotiations”.