Edinburgh Festival bin strike warning over pay row

Mountains of rubbish built up during the 2022 bin strike in Edinburgh

Waste and recycling staff in Edinburgh will vote on whether they go on strike over pay, prompting a warning of a rubbish "pile-up" during the Fringe.

Unison, Scotland's largest local government union, has told City of Edinburgh Council strike ballot papers will be sent out on Monday.

Cosla defended its pay offer and said it was disappointed industrial action was being contemplated.

A bin strike was held for 12 days over the festival two years ago which led to a huge backlog of waste littering the capital's streets.

The ballot will close on 1 July.

Rubbish in Cockburn Street in Edinburgh during the previous strike

The union said the current pay offer from Cosla to local government workers fell significantly short of what they deserved.

And they said it was "well below" the pay claim that unions submitted earlier this year.

David Harrold, Unison Edinburgh branch secretary, said: "If workers vote to strike, rubbish will pile up on the streets again at the Edinburgh Festival - one of Scotland's truly global events.

"The last thing anyone wants to do is take strike action, but local government workers deserve a fair increase to stop their pay lagging behind inflation and other sectors in the economy.

"This is about more than just waste workers, we are standing together for fair pay for every council worker in the country."

Cosla said it had tabled an offer, which runs from 1 April to 30 September next year.

It would result in a 2.2% uplift from 1 April, with a further 2% uplift taking effect from 1 October.

A spokesperson said: "We believe that this is a good offer in the context of inflation and the funding constraints faced by councils.

"We are disappointed that industrial action is being contemplated by our unions and concerned that it appears to be targeted at the most vulnerable service users.

"We remain committed to doing the best by our workforce who deliver essential local services in every community across Scotland and understand our trade unions seeking the best deal possible, but this year’s settlement from Scottish government means that going any further will mean job losses and service cuts."