Three unions confirm council waste staff in Scotland to strike in August

Co-ordinated strike action by council workers will prove “disruptive”, union leaders in Scotland have warned, ahead of waste and recycling staff taking part in an eight-day walkout in August.

The three unions representing local government employees, Unison, Unite and the GMB, have all now confirmed their members are to walk out for more than a week – with Edinburgh City Council staff set to strike during the Scottish 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.

Unison, the largest local government union, confirmed staff in 13 council areas will join the action, while GMB and Unite members will strike in 18 areas.

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As a result of the action, the GMB warned bins will not be emptied across Scotland “from the smallest villages to the biggest cities”.

While union leaders insist strike action is not yet inevitable, they warned council leaders and ministers a “significant shift” in the pay offer is needed.

It comes amid a dispute over council workers’ pay, with all three unions having previously rejected the 3.2% pay rise offered by local government body Cosla – which insists it has “very limited options available”.

Talks between Cosla leaders, unions and Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison took place on Tuesday, but no agreement was reached.

Union chiefs have already warned of the prospect of a “stinking summer” as rubbish builds up uncollected.

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 resources spokesperson Katie Hagmann insisted the local government leaders will “explore all options to avoid industrial action”.

But 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”.

Collette Hunter, Unison Scotland’s local government chairwoman, 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.

“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.”

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

Graham McNab, industrial officer with the union, said: “Unite stands ready to enter into meaningful negotiations at any time but our members need to see a significant shift in the coming days to avert strike action.

“Strike action is not yet inevitable but action from the politicians must be imminent.

“There is a window of opportunity to resolve this dispute but the politicians should be under no illusions that our members will take strike action if necessary to secure the pay offer which they deserve.”

Ms Hagmann meanwhile 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”.