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Overflowing bins on the streets of Edinburgh where cleansing workers from the City of Edinburgh Council are on strike, August 29, 2022
LOW-PAID cleansing and waste services workers across Scotland’s councils could walk out in the coming weeks after they voted to reject pay cuts.
A total of 23 of Scotland’s 32 councils have seen either GMB or Unite, or both unions win mandates for strike action as thousands of workers in waste services rejected a subinflation pay offer from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) of 2.2 per cent from April 1 to September 30 followed by 2 per cent in the following year.
The GMB won a ballot in 13 authorities, including Edinburgh, and the union’s senior organiser for public services, Keir Greenaway, has warned of a repeat of the 2022 dispute which saw rubbish pile-up during the Edinburgh Festivals.
Years of underfunding are eroding Scotland’s local services and deepening inequality in communities, says VINCE MILLS
Sharon Graham addresses the Unite policy conference after talks over the Birmingham bin strikes break down
