Council workers have been offered a five per cent pay rise following a special meeting with leaders across all of Scotland's local authorities on Friday, but unions have warned this is still not enough.
It comes after cleansing workers in Edinburgh began an 11-day strike on Thursday after turning down an initial offer of three per cent. Refuse workers gathered in the city centre and at one of the council's waste depot's at Seafield to protest against the proposed offer, which they said wasn't enough.
The offer will see the Scottish Government local government living wage increase to £10.50. Local Government minister Shona Robison confirmed this will be funded with £140 million of additional cash from the Scottish Government.
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COSLA resources spokesperson, Councillor Katie Hagmann, said: "Following Leaders Special meeting on Friday, they have mandated me to move forward with our trade union partners on the basis of an offer that raises the overall value to five per cent and in addition raises the Scottish Local Government Living Wage to £10.50.
"In doing so, leaders have reaffirmed the need for a discussion with Scottish Government on how they can support councils by providing flexibilities and long-term funding support. This will limit the risk to public services and the impact on communities."
But unions argue the offer is still not enough, emphasising that inflation is at a 40-year high. Alison Maclean, Unite industrial officer, said: "It has taken COSLA over five months to make an offer which we can take to our members for consideration.
"While the five per cent offer is an improvement, it is important to emphasise that it comes at a time when the broader retail price index has now hit a 40-year high at 12.3 per cent. Unite's local government committee will urgently consider this latest offer. At this juncture the strikes for next week continue as planned."
Edinburgh has now entered its third day of council workers striking, with images and videos showing the early damage to the capital's streets, with litter strewn all over city centre pavements and some restaurants even using cling film to seal bins.
Edinburgh Council have advised residents to avoid putting their bins out on the street until they are ready to be collected, as it will attract vermin. Council Leader Cammy Day said: “Having pushed hard for a special COSLA meeting to be convened this week, I’m pleased with the positive progress we’ve made today. A formal offer has now been made to trade unions, which I hope will be considered.
“We need to continue to press the Scottish Government for more flexibility in the use of council resources and fairer funding to sustain services.
“In the meantime, I would urge everyone to continue following our advice on how to deal with your waste safely and responsibly to help us manage the impact of the strike action. Please check the dedicated pages on our website and keep an eye on our social media channels, where we’ll be posting the most up-to-date information.”
Local Government Minister Shona Robison said the improved offer was a "welcome step forward". She said: "This increased pay offer to local government workers is a welcome step forward and has been supported by the Scottish Government's commitment of an additional £140 million for council workers' pay on a recurring basis.
"Throughout discussions, despite ministers having no formal role in the pay negotiations between councils and their employees, we have sought to work collaboratively with COSLA while providing full transparency around our financial position.
"All areas of the public sector are having to make challenging savings to stay within existing budgets."
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