Christmas bin strike warning in Glasgow as pay offer rejected

A fresh wave of bin strikes could hit Glasgow in the run-up to Christmas after GMB members rejected a new deal put forward by the council.

It had been hoped the offer of a 5.8% pay rise plus another 14 extra concessions, would be enough to end the industrial action.

However, the GMB said its members had called for a fresh strike ballot.

Refuse workers have been on strike for eight days over pay and conditions with the dispute due to end at midnight.

Glasgow City Council earlier said it had hoped the new offer would improve local workforce relationships and bring unions further into the decision-making process.

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GMB Scotland senior organiser Keir Greenaway said: "It's taken a strike to get Glasgow's leadership in the room and acknowledge the council's chronic low pay problems, the waste crisis in our communities, and the toxic management culture in the cleansing department.

"Strikes are a consequence of workers feeling undervalued, disrespected, and ignored for too long, and it's clear that a few days of talks and the initial outcomes from this aren't enough to remedy the impact of a decade of cuts."

Rubbish is piling up in the streets of Glasgow

He said workers in cleansing, as well as those in home care, school support, parks and gardens, and Glasgow Life, were "the backbone of the city's workforce" but were "struggling on wages that simply do not make ends meet".

Mr Greenway added: "Our members have demanded a fresh ballot, which could mean a second wave of strikes in the run-up to Christmas. They want more to be done to properly value key workers and to tackle the significant service and workforce challenges facing their city."

The council had offered to review the value of pay for all workers on the lowest grades, currently earning less than £20,000 a year, as part of the process to remove pay and grading system.

It also offered to pursue investment for cleansing infrastructure and resources to tackle the city's waste crisis, alongside new employee development and well-being measures to address management mistreatment of staff.

However, it refused union demands for a one-off "Glasgow payment" for all employees on Grade 1, 2 and 3 as a means of addressing the cost-of-living crisis it said was being faced by many workers.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn joined GMB members at a rally in Glasgow

Earlier, GMB members held a rally in the city's George Square, which was attended by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Corbyn told BBC Scotland: "I take my hat off to them. I think they've done an amazing job of educating the public about how important refuse collection is, about explaining that they are getting lower pay than other people working in other neighbouring refuse collection areas and their heads are held high.

"I think it's very important that the eyes of the world are on Glasgow and therefore it's very important that workers in Glasgow, such as refuse workers, are properly paid and treated properly."

'Political stunt'

Local authority body Cosla had already proposed a pay rise of 5.8% for the lowest paid staff as part of a £1,062 increase for staff earning below £25,000.

The deal, for workers at all 32 Scottish councils, involves £30m from the Scottish government and £18.5m from local government. The GMB is also looking for a Glasgow-specific deal.

The union denied accusations that its two-week consultation - covering the period of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow - was a political stunt. It said the dates were a coincidence.

Councillor Allan Casey who joined GMB discussions with council leader Susan Aitken, earlier said the offer would have improved local workforce relationships.

Mr Casey said it would have brought unions further into the decision-making process, offered training and support for a range of staff, and offered overtime to deal with the backlog created by the strike.