WITH bin strikes now affecting two thirds of Scotland’s local authorities, talks to end the pay dispute are set to enter their fifth day.
Discussions between the unions and Cosla, the organisation which represents Scotland’s 32 local authorities, took place on Sunday.
There is still no new offer although some close to the negotiations believe it is possible one could be made on Monday.
The Daily Record has reported local authority leaders have agreed to offer staff a minimum of about £1925 extra.
It is thought that offer will be formally tabled today, and unions would then discuss this internally before deciding whether to put it to members.
Cosla’s resources spokeswoman Kate Hagmman said: “We remain in intense active discussions with our trade union colleagues.”
Meanwhile, the Scottish Government has encouraged both sides to seek a “fair resolution” to the dispute.
City of Edinburgh Council has said that additional resources would be made available in order to support the clean-up operation on Tuesday once the strike ends.
Council leader Cammy Day said he was continuing to press the Scottish Government to fund an “acceptable settlement”.
He said: “This dispute has brought the value of our waste and cleansing teams – and their right to a fair wage – into sharp focus and I’m delighted they’ll be back out from Tuesday, helping to return our city to its best.
“While they’ll be working hard to catch up on collections and making every effort to collect litter across the city, it’ll take time for things to return to normal.
“Please bear with them as they do so and, if you can store your extra waste safely for a little longer or are able to book an appointment at a recycling centre, please do so.”
Residents are being asked to put their bins out as normal on their scheduled collection day, when extra waste will be collected if it is bagged.
Bosses at Public Health Scotland have told local authorities the “decontamination of public areas where brings have overflowed may be required”.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney has also expressed concerns about how the piles of rubbish building up could impact public health, describing it as “deeply concerning”.
Unions are looking for an agreement similar to the one made to council workers in England, which included a £1925 flat rate pay offer.
They said offering a percentage pay rise would mean the most money would go to the best paid staff.
The strikes began in Edinburgh on August 18 after the unions initially rejected a 3.5% pay offer.
Monday is the last full day of the current bin strike in Edinburgh although action in other areas is due to last until Wednesday.
It escalated last week when refuse workers at a further 20 local authorities, including Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee, walked out despite a revised 5% offer.
A new set of strikes are due to start next week.
Cosla had described the latest offer as “one of, if not the best offer in decades for Scottish local government workers” with some getting an overall 7.36% increase.
The Scottish government has given an additional £140 million to councils to help fund a pay increase.
However, the unions – Unite, Unison and GMB – are calling for more funding from the government to pay for an improved offer.
They have refused a government request to suspend strikes while negotiations remain ongoing.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “After constructive discussions over recent days, we are aware that Cosla held a meeting of local authority leaders to discuss a potential proposition.
“It would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment further beyond encouraging both sides to continue to seek a fair resolution of this dispute.”
