FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon will personally meet with trade unions and councils in a bid to stop a second wave of strikes over pay.
The intervention comes as cleansing workers across 20 authorities, and school and nursery staff in seven, are preparing to walk out next week.
The FM will reportedly meet with unions and council chiefs separately in a series of meetings in St Andrew’s House, Edinburgh, on Thursday afternoon.
Waste workers in the capital were the first to go on strike, which saw public bins left overflowing with rubbish during the peak of the city’s festival season.
The initial 3.5% bid was rejected, followed by a later 5% offer. Last week a revised proposal of £1925 was also refused, leaving talks between unions and Cosla at a stalemate.
Cosla have insisted the final offer was “as good as it gets”, while the FM said the Scottish Government had “exhausted all options” to pull the funding together.
Unite the union said they rejected the latest offer as it still disproportionately hits the lowest paid.
Wendy Dunsmore, Unite’s industrial officer, said last week: “The structure of the offer continues to disproportionately and unfairly effect the lowest paid with the majority of those being women.
"In real terms it leaves the lowest paid workers no better-off and a significant proportion of the offer does not enhance overtime, allowances or pensions.
“The offer remains unacceptable and it represents a waste of precious time. We understand the gravity of the situation across the country but equally our members are facing the worst cost of living crisis in a generation.”
They insisted the offer is still in line with a 5% average across council staff pay grades - and that for the lowest paid would only be around £989.
For around 85% of the workforce, the offer would have meant a pay increase between £1925 and £2000.
However, they added that the offer will not be consolidated into salaries, it is non-recurring and it fails to recognise the cost of living is projected to increase for all workers.
Waste workers will be joined by school support staff, including caterers, pupil support assistants, cleaners and janitors taking strike action next week.
Hundreds of schools across the country will close for three days as a result.
Meanwhile, waste staff from Unite, Unison and GMB have returned to work after the first wave of strike action came to a close.
The next round of industrial action is scheduled to take place between September 6 to 13.
