THURSDAY’S bin strike in Edinburgh looks set to go ahead after unions rejected a “paltry” 3.5 per cent pay hike from council leaders. 

The renewed offer was made by COSLA on Friday afternoon but was panned by both council leaders and the government in a row over money.

Scotland’s local government minister, Shona Robison, described the proposal as “extremely disappointing” and said local authorities needed to reconsider. 

Cammy Day, the Labour leader of Edinburgh council, said it was up to the government to "dig deep". 

Waste, recycling, and street cleaning workers in the capital will down tools later this week before the industrial action is rolled out across the country. 

Other staff, including those who work in schools and nurseries, could soon follow.

Wendy Dunsmore, Unite’s Regional Officer said both local and central government needed to share responsibility for leaving workers with little choice but to strike.

She said: “We have the pathetic spectacle of COSLA and the Scottish Government doing a hokey cokey dance as they blame each other for this unacceptable pay offer. The fact is both of them are equally to blame. 

“Our members are fed up with this politicking because all they want is an offer put on the table which reflects their hard work and helps them deal with the cost of living crisis hurting families across Scotland.

The union’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, said the offer from COSLA was “nowhere near good enough.”

She added: “Council leaders across Scotland including Edinburgh and Glasgow are publicly on the record acknowledging this reality. So why should our members even consider it?

"We make no apologies for standing up for our members because they deserve better than what they are getting from the politicians.”

Unison and GMB have also rejected the offer. 

Johanna Baxter, head of local government at Unison Scotland, said: “This is another derisory pay offer.

 

“We are in a ridiculous position of both our employers and the Scottish Government agreeing this 3.5% pay offer is not nearly enough, but both are at loggerheads about who should pay for it.

“Meanwhile council workers – over half earn less than £25,000 per year – are worrying about paying the bills.

“Inflation is predicted to rise to 13.5% and our members are offered a real-terms pay cut which will plunge more of them into debt.

“We have written to COSLA to tell them the strike continues in waste and recycling and we will confirm dates for strike action in schools and early years in the coming days.”

GMB Scotland senior organiser Keir Greenaway said: “Friday’s offer has been totally rejected by our workplace reps in local government and no-one at COSLA or the Scottish Government should be surprised.

“Bluntly, it’s a pathetic response from political leaders to a cost-of-living crisis that’s turning into a catastrophe for many frontline workers and their families.

“Unless a significantly improved offer is urgently tabled, the strike dates already confirmed for later this month will be unavoidable, and notices for further actions will almost certainly follow as we head into autumn.”

Earlier this month, the Scottish Government found an additional £140m to help pay for a new offer.

But Deputy First Minister John Swinney made clear that there would be no more cash after that.

However, without more money from government, COSLA said they may have to choose between a higher pay offer for staff or job losses and reduced services as "budgets are unable to sustain the long term pressures they have been under.”

Unite’s 250 members will walk out on Thursday until 30 August, the day after the end of the festival and the Fringe. 

Another 1,500 members in councils across Scotland will walk out from 24 August to 31 August over a pay dispute.

Unison and the GMB members will strike in two four-day stoppages between August 26 and 29 and September 7 and 10.