Perth bin collection disruption as waste workers strike
Unison members rejected a 5% pay offer
Last updated 10th Aug 2023
Perth & Kinross Council bin workers have gone on strike.
A picket line on Thursday morning at Friarton Depot in Perth will mark the start of the four day walk out.
The action by union UNISON is part of a wider dispute over a 5% pay offer made to local government workers by COSLA, which was rejected earlier this year.
They say it will disrupt bin collections and recycling across the Tayside region.
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Disruption is just the start
UNISON is also balloting 30,000 school staff in every local authority in Scotland over pay, with that ballot closing on Friday 25 August.
If those staff in education vote to strike, there could be a mass school closures across Scotland in September.
A spokesperson for the union has said "Earlier this year, UNISON consulted its entire local government membership (84,000) on COSLA’s pay offer.
This comprised of a 5% rise from April this year, plus an additional increase that varied depending on an individual’s salary.
The extra amount was payable from January 2024. The union’s members voted overwhelmingly to reject (87%) this.
Nine in ten (90%) of those who opposed the offer also opted for taking some form of strike action to try to secure an improved wage increase.
"This could have been avoided easily"
UNISON Scotland head of local government, Johanna Baxter said: “Strike action by UNISON members today is a direct result of COSLA’s inaction.
"COSLA needs to focus on an improved pay offer to ensure local government workers get a pay boost that better reflects their immense contribution to local communities.
“COSLA’s offer falls far short of what’s needed.
"It’s less than that made to the lowest paid local government staff south of the border and would amount to a real-terms pay cut during a cost-of-living crisis".
Residents and businesses told to empty bins as normal
A Perth and Kinross spokesperson said: "“We are aware of the intended industrial action by members of UNISON as part of a national dispute over pay and are continuing to monitor the situation.
“Residents and businesses should present their waste as usual and we will update our webpages and social media if there is likely to be significant disruption.”