Edinburgh Retro: A look back at how bin strikes have impacted Capital streets

Edinburgh’s bin collectors have voted for strike action over pay and their walk-out is likely to take place during the Festival and Fringe in August.

That could mean a repeat of August 2022 when bin crews staged a 12-day strike, leaving rubbish to pile up in the streets.

The unions say the current dispute has arisen because the offer from council umbrella body Cosla fails to match the one put forward by the UK government for equivalent staff south of the border.

The 2022 dispute came as inflation reached 10.1 per cent, the highest for 40 years. The three main council unions - Unite, the GMB and Unison - rejected an initial two per cent offer and also an increased 3.5 per cent offer, then called a 12-day stoppage.

The walk-out started on August 18 and ended on August 30. Other council staff and other local authorities were involved in the action too and further action was threatened, but negotiations led to a settlement in early September, with the lowest-paid council workers receiving a 10 per cent increase.

Here are some pictures to prompt your memories of 20222 and some earlier bin disputes.

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