Edinburgh bin workers vote to strike amid pay dispute

Tuesday July 2nd 2024

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Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Donald Turvill


Edinburgh bin collectors have voted overwhelmingly to go on strike this summer during the festivals.

A ballot by Unite saw 82 per cent of members working in waste and cleansing in the capital support taking action as they fight for a better pay deal.

The trade union said this will see “over 450 members down tools over the summer”. GMB members also voted to strike in Edinburgh.

The news will leave council bosses nervous of a repeat of the 2022 bin strikes which resulted in a huge build-up of litter on the city’s streets during the August Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe.

Unite said the result sends a “message to COSLA and the Scottish Government loud and clear” that council workers “are ready to fight for fair pay.”

It said the local government umbrella organisation’s offer of a 2.2% rise for 12 months and then a 2% rise for 6 months was not considered acceptable “in the context of council worker pay being devalued by thousands of pounds over the past 15 years.”

Edinburgh branch secretary Brian Robertson said members did “not want to make a mess of the festival” and urged the Scottish Government to come to the table and find a solution to prevent it from happening again.

He said: “It’s about local government pay for the whole of Scotland.

“These brave workers will be coming out on strike, losing wages, unless the Scottish government comes to the table and we can negotiate with them and with COSLA to get a decent pay rise for all local government workers in Scotland.

“The vast majority of local government workers earn far less than the median wage in this city – many of them are working on less than £20,000 a year.”

Across Scotland strike action was backed by Unite’s refuse workers in 16 councils, while GMB members in 13 local authority areas returned a mandate to strike.

A COSLA spokesperson said: “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.”

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