Edinburgh bin strike looms larger as unions reject latest pay offer

Unite - the biggest union among waste and recycling staff - warned of “a stinking Scottish summer” unless the local government employers came up with a better deal.

Piles of rubbish and overflowing bins during the August 2022 strike. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA | Andrew Milligan/PA

A walk-out by refuse collectors could mean rubbish piling up in the streets as it did at Festival time in August 22 when unions staged a 12-day stoppage, also over pay.

The GMB union also rejected the offer today. Unison had already done so at the end of last week.

Unite said its committee for local government workers had rejected the latest offer from council umbrella body Cosla following a meeting in Glasgow. The union said no extra cash had been added to the new pay offer, which amounted to a 3.2 per cent increase for a one-year period from April 2024.

Unite said the offer equated to £800 or a 41p per hour increase, while council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland had been offered £1,290 or 67p per hour - 5.2 per cent for a council worker earning around £25,000 based on a 37-hour week.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Cosla has taken months to put a new offer to our local government membership, and it’s one that does absolutely nothing to address more than a decade of deep cuts to pay and services. 

“Unless Cosla and the Scottish government move quickly to make an acceptable offer then mountains of rubbish will pile up across the nation’s streets. The politicians have a choice, and one more chance, to resolve this pay dispute before strike action.”  

And Graham McNab, Unite industrial officer, added: “Cosla’s latest pay continues to grossly undervalue Scotland’s council workers compared with the offer made to their counterparts across the UK. 

“A stinking Scottish summer looms unless Cosla and the Scottish government quickly sort this out by injecting more cash into a new offer. Any offer will need to value the lowest paid council workers, at least, on similar terms as the offer made to other UK council workers. 

“The Scottish government can no longer sit idly by, we are on the brink of nationwide strike action which could last for months.”  

Unite has mandates for strike action in 16 councils, including Edinburgh.

Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in public services, said Cosla's claim that it had tabled an improved offer "insults the intelligence of our members".

He said: “We continue to believe a joint approach seeking more funding from the Scottish government remains the most likely route to a resolution.”

Cosla said it was disappointed that all three unions had rejected the revised offer, which it described as “strong, fair and credible” and above the rate of inflation.