Council chiefs challenge determined money plea to Swinney to cease strikes

Council chiefs are begging John Swinney to give them extra cash to head off a catastrophic summer of bin strikes.

The prospect of rubbish piling high in Scotland’s streets is imminent after unions Unite, Unison and the GMB all rejected the offer of a 3.2 per cent pay rise.

Local government body Cosla is now seeking an urgent meeting with Scottish Government ministers to ask for more cash to resolve the dispute.

Two previous council pay strikes in 2022 and 2023 were only brought to an end when the Scottish government stepped in to provide additional funds.

Union bosses yesterday urged the first minister to intervene to break the ‘gridlocked’ pay negotiations. 

Unions are threatening imminent strike action by council bin men over pay

Councillors have asked for a joint meeting with The Scottish Government and urged the unions to suspend their industrial action until after discussions have taken place.

However, ministers have not yet agreed to meet with Cosla, sparking fears that previous scenes of waste left rotting in Scotland’s cities could be repeated this summer.

The majority of Scotland’s 32 councils are set to be affected by the action, which union officials warn will lead to a ‘stinking summer’.

Industrial action could begin in the middle of Edinburgh’s busy festival season next month, as hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the world arrive in the city.

Cllr Cammy Day, Leader of The City of Edinburgh Council said: ‘We’ve been quite clear all along that The Scottish Government are responsible for funding local government.

‘We do need to engage with Ian Murray, the Secretary of State for Scotland and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, but but right now we need a solution to the local government pay deal. 

‘As Nicola Sturgeon intervened and Shona Robison intervened we are now calling on John Swinney to intervene and meeting and make sure The Scottish Government are at the table with the trade unions and council leaders to negotiate a settlement, a reasonable pay award and allow strike action to be called off.’

Louise Gilmour, GMB Scotland secretary, said: ‘Too much time has already been wasted discussing offers which merely repackage the same money.

‘If the Scottish government does not come to the table, there will be no meaningful discussions, no route to a resolution and no chance of halting strike action.

‘The first minister could and should break that gridlock.’

The latest pay offer would have seen workers receive a blanket 3.2 per cent rise for a one-year period between April 1 this year and March 31 2025.

First Minister John Swinney is being urged to provide councils with extra cash to head off the industrial action

Unite said the proposal ‘grossly undervalues’ Scottish council workers.

Unison previously argued that negotiations had ‘not moved one iota’ since it told Cosla it would move towards strike action.

GMB Scotland said Cosla should have put pressure on the Scottish Government weeks ago.

The union wrote to First Minister John Swinney on Tuesday calling on him to intervene in the dispute.

Ms Gilmour said: ‘If there is no fair offer, this dispute will only escalate causing disruption for the millions of Scots relying on the frontline services delivered by our members.

‘Strike action can be averted but only with the support of the Scottish government. That support needs to arrive as a matter of urgency.’

The Scottish Government has been approached for comment.