A UNION has warned that a “stinking Scottish summer looms” as the latest pay offer to council waste and recycling staff has been rejected.
Unite the Union has accused Colsa, a local government body, of “grossly undervaluing” council waste workers following a meeting in Glasgow on Monday.
The union said “no extra cash” has been added to the new pay offer by Colsa which amounts to a 3.2 per cent increase for a one-year period between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025.
The latest deal comes after union members rejected Colsa’s pay offer of a 2.2% wage increase, then an additional 2% from October 1, in May and have since voted to go on strike.
Council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been offered a pay increase of 5.2%, which equates to £1,290, in comparison to Scottish workers being offered 3.2%, which equates to £800.
Unite have confirmed last week that strikes are set to go ahead with the majority of Scottish councils to be affected amid the ongoing pay dispute.
More than 95% of Unison members backed strike action in a ballot which will affect 13 Scottish councils.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham (below) said that politicians have a choice to make, otherwise, mountains of rubbish will pile up along Scottish streets in the coming months.
She said: “COSLA has taken months to put a new offer to our local government membership, and it’s one that does absolutely nothing to address more than a decade of deep cuts to pay and services.
“Unless COSLA and the Scottish government move quickly to make an acceptable offer then mountains of rubbish will pile up across the nation’s streets. The politicians have a choice, and one more chance, to resolve this pay dispute before strike action.”
First Minister John Swinney (below) has insisted he is keen to see the council workers’ pay dispute resolved.
Speaking during a visit to Peterhead he said: “I obviously want to avoid any industrial action taking place.”
He stressed, however, it was for local authorities and the trade unions to remain “engaged with dialogue” in a bid to resolve the dispute.
Swinney said: “I am keen that dialogue and discussions are able to take their course, that we can avoid industrial action and have a resolution to that matter that avoids any interruption to services.”
Graham McNab, Unite industrial officer, said any offer to Scottish workers will need to match the similar terms of their UK council counterparts.
He said: “COSLA’s latest pay offer doesn’t add any extra cash. It continues to grossly undervalue Scotland’s council workers compared with the offer made to their counterparts across the UK.
“A stinking Scottish summer looms unless COSLA and the Scottish government quickly sort this out by injecting more cash into a new offer. Any offer will need to value the lowest paid council workers, at least, on similar terms as the offer made to other UK council workers.
“The Scottish government can no longer sit idly by, we are on the brink of nationwide strike action which could last for months.”
Unison workers are still set to strike in the following areas:
- Clackmannanshire Council
- Dumfries & Galloway Council
- East Ayrshire Council
- East Lothian Council
- Fife Council
- Glasgow City Council
- Inverclyde Council
- Midlothian Council
- North Lanarkshire Council
- Perth & Kinross Council
- South Lanarkshire Council
- Stirling Council
- West Lothian Council
