Waste services staff within South Lanarkshire Council are to walk-out in response to a ‘pitiful’ two per cent local government pay offer.
The strike action, among Unite, Unison and GMB union members, will take place over several dates later this month and into September.
The second wave of action for Unite members will begin on August 24 and end on August 31. Whilst those in the GMB Scotland and Unison unions will carry out two four-day strikes, running from Friday to Monday August 26 to 29, and again on Wednesday September 7 to Saturday 10.
The wave of strike dates to hit all waste services in councils forms the next phase of a coordinated campaign to persuade the Scottish Government and COSLA to make a decent pay offer.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham told Lanarkshire Live : "Unite’s members play a crucial role in keeping Scotland’s bins emptied and streets clean and they have had enough of the procrastination between COSLA and the Scottish Government that has led us to where we are now.
"Our members across all councils will receive the union’s complete support until this dispute is resolved and a fair pay offer secured.
"Unite will always defends the jobs, pay and conditions of its members."
It is estimated that around 1,500 Unite members across 15 councils will join their colleagues in South Lanarkshire's cleansing department and participate in the second wave of strike action.
Unite regional officer Wendy Dunsmore said: “The failure of both COSLA and the Scottish Government to work to bring an improved offer to the table that could have halted this action means any blame for where we are now should be directed back to them.
"Unite will not tolerate that local government workers are the consistent poor relations and members have now had enough."
GMB Scotland Senior Organiser Keir Greenaway said: “Unless COSLA and the Scottish Government make a significantly improved pay offer, more strikes will start across councils in just a few weeks.
“Both parties are squabbling while more of our members struggle with debt, fuel poverty, and hunger, exposing a huge gulf between politics and frontline workers. This is only increasing anger and fear among our members - anger over the lack of value shown to them and fear about what winter will bring in this cost-of-living crisis."
Johanna Baxter, UNISON Scotland head of local government added: “The responsibility for this action lies squarely with the Scottish Government and COSLA, neither of whom seem to have grasped the gravity of this situation."
An SLC spokesman told us : “The council has received formal notification of proposed industrial action from Unions on behalf of their members.
"We will now look in detail at what the notification means for the provision and continuity of frontline services.”
It is reported that more than half of Scotland’s 250,000 council workers are earning less than £25,000 a year for a 37-hour week.
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