Dundee and Angus bin workers walk out in row over pay
A wave of strike action begins today as thousands of Unite cleansing workers down tools and walk out in a row over pay
A wave of strike action begins in Dundee and Angus today as thousands of Unite cleansing workers down tools across the country in a row over pay.
It means bins across the local authorities are unlikely to be emptied over the next week.
They will be joined on strike on Friday by Unison and GMB members in Perth and Kinross.
Unite workers are walking out from 24th-31st August, with GMB and UNISON members downing tools from 26th-29th August.
Why are workers striking?
Cleansing workers are asking for a better pay deal, last week the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation measure rose to 10.1 per cent, days after COSLA chiefs offered staff a “a quantum equivalent of a 3.5 per cent increase” which was roundly rejected.
They then offered a 5% increase, which unions said came with "little to no detail" on how it would affect the lowest paid workers, and vowed to press ahead with strike action.
George Ramsay from Unite the Union Dundee said: "Wages are spiralling downwards compared to the cost of living. Local authority workers are not keeping up with the private sector.
"It's time that councils and the Scottish government knocked their heads together and found money to pay people for the job they do."
He added: "We do hope that a deal can be reached. Nobody likes to be on strike. Workers would rather have negotiations through their trade unions and employer before that has to happen, but obviously that's not happened here."
Refuse workers have already been on strike for nearly a week in Edinburgh, with scenes of overflowing bins around the capital labelled a disgrace.
Rubbish bins overflowing in the Grassmarket due to industrial action by Edinburgh council workers.
An overflowing bin can be seen outside the Waverley Market next to the station.
Rubbish pilling up in residential streets in Gorgie.
Tourists walk past overflowing bins, at the height of festival season in the Capital.
The sixth day of the Waste Service Strike has led to central Edinburgh becoming an unsanitary mess.
Rubbish bins overflowing outside Edinburgh Waverley.
Rubbish pilling up in residential streets in Gorgie.
Bins overflowing with rubbish are being taped up as they begin to overflow with waste, at the height of festival season.
Who needs to pay for a better offer?
Unions have claimed they are stuck in the middle between the Scottish Government and Cosla, with the two claiming the other has to produce the money to pay for better pay offers.
COSLA Resources Spokesperson Cllr Katie Hagmann said last week:
"Leaders continue to call on Scottish Government to provide funding and flexibilities to enable an offer beyond the monies provided to date.
"As such we will be seeking to make an improved offer via the appropriate negotiating mechanisms as soon as possible.”
But last week Nicola Sturgeon suggested the local authority umbrella body won't be seeing any more cash from Holyrood, and that it's down to the Councils to find the cash.
The First Minister said: "Just last week, the Scottish Government gave £140 million additional funding to local government to help try to resolve pay claims.
"Therefore it's really disappointing, in my view, that local authorities haven't yet offered a decent 5% pay increase there.
"So I would call on local councils, we've put money on the table, to do your bit now so that we can resolve the issues."
Last minute talks fall through
Last night, talks between unions and COSLA failed to make a breakthrough.
Both UNISON and COSLA, the umbrella body representing council employers, will be writing to Deputy First Minister to ask for an urgent meeting to discuss increase funding for local authorities to enable talks to continue.
Johanna Baxter, UNISON Scotland’s head of local government, said: “It was a very long meeting but unfortunately there has been no breakthrough and we are a long way from a pay offer that we would be able to recommend to our members.
“COSLA negotiated within the cost envelope that leaders mandated them but that simply isn’t enough and goes nowhere near matching the pay offer provided to council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
“The only thing that both parties could agree on is that we need the urgent intervention from the Deputy First Minister to put additional funding in place and both will be writing to the Deputy First Minister to that effect today.”