Glasgow set to be hit by bin worker strikes in August
The action would see union members walk out in sixteen council areas
Glasgow could be amongst 16 councils across Scotland facing another summer of overflowing bins, as Unite announces planned strike action in August of a pay dispute.
Cleansing and waste service workers will take part in the walk outs in August in more than half of Scotland’s council areas.
The dates for the action haven’t been set yet, but the union will be joined in 13 council areas by the GMB in just over two weeks’ time.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “After years of cuts to council pay and services, years of chronic underfunding and understaffing, our membership is saying no more.
“Enough.
“They have Unite’s unequivocal support in the fight for better jobs, pay and conditions across Scottish local government.”
"Enough"
Any action would likely affect events including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which was caught up in a dispute between unions and local governments two years ago.
Union representatives rejected a formal pay offer form the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) in May, which would have seen a 2.2 percent rise from 1 April to 30 September, and then a 2 percent increase for a 12-month period from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025.
The offer was rejected as an attempt to “kick the can down the road”.
Unite industrial officer Graham McNab added: “Thousands of workers in cleansing and waste services are now on the brink of taking strike action in a matter of weeks. Our members are being left with no choice but to fight for fair pay.”
“Council workers deserve to be treated with respect but instead they received a pitiful pay offer which was rejected outright by Unite.
“This situation is entirely in the hands of COSLA and the Scottish government who can resolve this dispute at any moment by making a significantly improved pay offer.”