Bin strikes continue as unions query pay offer

Fast food boxes, bottles and cans have piled up next to Edinburgh's overflowing bins during the strike

Bin strikes across Scottish local authorities are to continue as planned after unions queried a new pay offer.

Rubbish has been piling up in Edinburgh where hundreds of GMB and Unite union members in the city's waste and recycling service are striking.

Local authorities have increased their pay offer from 3.5% to 5%.

But Unite said it would not take the offer to its members because there was not enough detail about how it affects lowest paid workers.

The strike in Edinburgh is due to last for 12 days until 30 August - the day after the end of the city's International and Fringe festivals.

It is the first in a series planned across Scotland.

Further strike action from workers in waste and recycling services is planned in the following councils:

Unite - 24 to 31 August Aberdeen, Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, East Ayrshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow, Highland, Inverclyde, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian.

Unison - 26 to 29 August and 7 to 10 September Aberdeenshire, Clackmannanshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, Stirling and South Lanarkshire

GMB - 26 to 29 August and 7 to 10 September Aberdeen, Angus, Dundee, East Ayrshire, East Lothian, Falkirk, Glasgow, Inverclyde, Highland, Midlothian, Orkney, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, West Lothian, Perth and Kinross, and North Lanarkshire.

Union members have rejected a pay offer equivalent to a 3.5% increase.

On Monday, following a meeting of Unite's local government representatives committee, the union said it would not take the new 5% offer to members.

Alison Maclean, Unite industrial officer, said the union's local government committee had reaffirmed that the strike action taking place in Edinburgh, and scheduled to take place in another 14 councils, continued as planned.

She said there was not enough detail about the 5% pay offer, and what it means for the lowest paid workers.

"At this moment the offer from Cosla remains a vague aspirational pledge but Unite can't take anything to our wider membership unless we have specifics and guarantees," she said.

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Unite and GMB Scotland are to meet with Cosla on Tuesday - after which Unite said it would "reassess the situation".

GMB Scotland senior organiser Keir Greenaway said members wanted clarity from Cosla about whether the 5% proposal came with the assurance of a flat rate award - a key demand of the union pay claim.

He added: "The prospect of the highest paid getting the biggest cash increases in any offer would be unacceptable, let alone one that is still well below inflation."

City of Edinburgh Council leader Cammy Day said the news that strikes would continue was disappointing.

He said: "I'm continuing to push hard for a resolution as quickly as possible. We also need to carry on pressing the Scottish government to give us more flexibility on how we use our resources and as well as providing fairer funding for our services.

"I'd like to thank everyone for their patience as the strike continues and please continue to follow our advice on how to deal with your waste safely and responsibly to help us manage the impact of the strike action."

Union members rallied outside Edinburgh's city council chambers

Nicola Sturgeon previously said council leaders should make a 5% pay offer to staff to avert further strikes.

Reiterating that councils were the employers of the workers, she added: "We've provided more resources to local authorities to try to facilitate a fairer pay deal and I'm glad to see that Cosla has now put on the table a 5% pay offer and I hope that now paves the way to these issues being resolved."

Meanwhile. Edinburgh North and Leith MP Deirdre Brock, of the SNP, said the Labour-run council had failed to put forward a decent pay offer.

She said: "The SNP in government put an extra £140m on the table, on top of the £100m extra given to councils earlier in the year, yet Labour refused to offer that money to refuse workers for over a week, leaving our capital streets an eyesore.

"Residents and tourists alike need to see a plan from Labour to clean up the capital starting today. All we've seen so far is ineptitude."

'Risk to Edinburgh's reputation'

Scottish Conservative local government spokesman Miles Briggs said there had been an "astounding" lack of contingency planning ahead of the strike.

He said: "More could have been done to prepare the city, such as working with private companies or providing additional bins.

"The SNP government must get around the table and fix this before it's too late. They cannot stand by and watch while a situation that they created by giving councils a poor funding settlement spirals out of control."

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, who represents Edinburgh Western at Holyrood, said there were now "mountains of filth piling up".

He added: "We all know that August is perhaps the most important month in Edinburgh's calendar. This situation risks jeopardising the capital's reputation among festival visitors from across the UK and the world.

"Refuse workers are being hit hard by the cost of living crisis. They need emergency changes to the budget which will properly fund local government and support those in need."