Second wave of cleansing strikes announced across Edinburgh & Fife
A second wave of bin worker strikes will see even more areas go without rubbish collections.
A second wave of bin worker strikes will see even more areas go with out rubbish collections, as two more councils in the west of Scotland are dragged into the pay row.
Unite says is members in Fife will join staff in Edinburgh, Falkirk, East Lothian and West Lothian and take part an eight day walk out planned to start on 6th September.
We are expecting more talks to be held between Union leaders, COSLA and the Scottish Government tomorrow, however last night's session with the Deputy First Minister was described as positive and productive, despite no new offer being tabled.
It takes the total number of local authority areas with cleansing strikes next month to twenty, with staff in Dumfries & Galloway, Aberdeenshire and Fife also walking out.
How the capital is looking as bin strikes rumble on...
Rubbish bins overflowing in the Grassmarket due to industrial action by Edinburgh council workers.
An overflowing bin can be seen outside the Waverley Market next to the station.
Rubbish pilling up in residential streets in Gorgie.
Tourists walk past overflowing bins, at the height of festival season in the Capital.
The sixth day of the Waste Service Strike has led to central Edinburgh becoming an unsanitary mess.
Rubbish bins overflowing outside Edinburgh Waverley.
Rubbish pilling up in residential streets in Gorgie.
Bins overflowing with rubbish are being taped up as they begin to overflow with waste, at the height of festival season.
In another new development Unite’s members in schools and early years services across 7 councils are scheduled to take three days of strike action on 6, 7, 8 and 9 September
in the following areas: Angus, Dundee, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, and South Lanarkshire.
The days of action vary depending on the council. Unite’s members in schools and early years services include administrative staff, cleaners, caterers, and classroom assistants.
Unite members employed by Tayside Contracts who provide catering and janitorial services to schools across Angus, Dundee and Perth and Kinross councils will also strike. In total this means 20 councils will be directly impacted by Unite’s strike action.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite’s members across local government are taking strike action because the politicians have failed them miserably. We now plan to spread this action across 20 councils in education and waste services.
"For five months COSLA and the Scottish Government have dithered and bickered with each other while our members have increasingly faced a cost of living crisis. We will fully support them in their fight for better jobs, pay and conditions.”
Unite industrial officer Wendy Dunsmore added: “Unite will now deepen and spread our strike action across two thirds of the country. This is a direct response to the abject failure by both COSLA and the Scottish Government to fund a fair pay offer particularly for the lowest paid. It’s a disgrace that schools and early years services now face closure causing further disruption to families.
"The politicians need to get a grip of this situation which they have let happen due to their politicking and stalling. It’s time for the politicians to realise the gravity of this dispute and take responsibility before this situation dramatically escalates.”
It is reported that more than half of Scotland’s 250,000 council workers are earning less than £25,000 a year for a 37-hour week.