Bin collectors set to go on strike during Edinburgh Fringe

GMB Scotland’s members in waste services in 13 councils are said to have achieved a mandate for strike action, including in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Fife, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, Aberdeenshire, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, and Stirling.

The union says the pay offer proposed by local authority body Cosla falls “short of that offered by the Conservative UK Government to local authority workers in England”. It says the majority of workers in Scotland would have received less in cash over 12 months and a smaller rise over 18 months than their counterparts in the rest of the UK.

The union has warned that if an improved offer is not forthcoming, dates for strike action will be served. Cosla has said it is disappointed by the move and urged the union to reconsider.

GMB Scotland Senior Organiser for Public Services, Keir Greenaway said: “Year after year, these talks have been needlessly drawn out. That leaves our members – typically the lowest paid working on the frontline of our services – without the pay rise they need. Inflation may be stabilising, but can anyone say they feel the difference?

“Council Leaders refuse to have meaningful talks – all while blocking the Scottish Government’s intervention to deliver a pay offer that matches our members’ value. They are counting down the clock while our members go without.

“We hear time and time again that Scotland does public services better, but that’s not the case when the Conservatives down south have already beaten COSLA’s offer. If COSLA can’t do better, it’s time for them to bring the Scottish Government to the table to fund an improved offer.

“If not, then it’s likely that the same disruption during 2022’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival will happen again this year. Hundreds of millions are poured into the city during the Fringe, but political leaders claim they can’t find enough money to value frontline service workers.

“Council Leaders have wasted months and they’ve wasted opportunities. Our members have no time for waste which is why rubbish will pile up in councils across Scotland if a suitable offer isn’t received. We have no interest in political games when so many are struggling.”

A Cosla spokeswoman told the BBC: “Cosla has made a strong offer at the limits of affordability for councils. In the context of lowering inflation and a ‘flat cash’ budget settlement from Scottish government, it remains important to reward our valued workforce appropriately.

"We urge our unions to reconsider their decision to reject the offer. We are disappointed that industrial action is being contemplated by our unions and concerned that it appears to be targeted at waste services, once again raising potential public health risks."