Rubbish could once again pile up in Scotland's towns and cities as waste workers are consulted on industrial action.
In 2022, a pay dispute between refuse workers belonging to the Unison, Unite and GMB trade unions saw bins go uncollected in 20 of the country's 32 council areas.
Public Health Scotland issued a public health warning as rubbish piled up in the streets, with the strikes eventually ended after a 10% pay increase for the lowest paid staff was agreed.
Last week the GMB union rejected an offer from COSLA, the national association of Scottish councils, and will now ballot its members on industrial action.
The ballot opens on 5 June and will end on 1 July meaning walkout and other industrial action could begin on July 15.
Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in public service said: "Our members have already been forced to wait far too long for an offer that was not close to being acceptable.
“It is deeply frustrating council workers are once again being driven to industrial action to secure a fair offer and the blame for that lies squarely with council leaders and ministers.
“Why has so much time been wasted? Why are council leaders not already in serious discussions with unions and the Scottish Government about how to fund a fair offer?
“Why on earth should our members in Scotland be asked to accept an offer that is less than that being offered to council colleagues in England?”
The union’s members in social care are already voting on industrial action with the first strike potentially taking place on 3 July, the day before the general election.
The results of that vote are expected on 19 June meaning the first possible day of strike action is 3 July, the eve of the general election.
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Mr Greenaway said: “This election like all the other is all about promises but council workers have been given too many already.
“They were promised a minimum wage of £15 an hour by 2026, for example, but this pay offer calls that into serious question. They don’t want any more empty promises. They want fair pay.”
A COSLA Spokesperson said: “COSLA wrote to the Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Trade Unions on Thursday 23 May with a formal pay offer for the SJC local government workforce.
"This offer is for a settlement which runs for an 18-month period of 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2025. There would be a 2.2% uplift from 1 April, with a further 2% uplift taking effect from 1 October. We believe that this is a good offer in the context of inflation and the funding constraints faced by councils.
“We are disappointed that industrial action is being contemplated by our unions and concerned that it appears to be targeted at the most vulnerable service users.
"We remain committed to doing the best by our workforce who deliver essential local services in every community across Scotland and understand our trade unions seeking the best deal possible, but this year’s settlement from Scottish Government means that going any further will mean job losses and service cuts.”
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