Cosla warning over pay row as bin strike dates are announced

Councils have "very limited options" to solve a pay row which could lead to strikes across Scotland, it is claimed.

Three of the country's largest unions have confirmed that their members will strike over nine days next month without a resolution to the dispute.

Unison was first to confirm that waste and refuse workers would take action. Now GMB and Unite have confirmed their members will join them between 14-22 August after turning down a pay deal.

Workers rejected the offer of a 3.2 per cent pay rise for a one-year period between 1 April this year and 31 March next year.

Trade union leaders met with Finance and Local Government Secretary Shona Robison and councils body Cosla yesterday.

Robison said the talks had been "productive" but no deal had been made.

Councillor Katie Hagmann, Cosla's resources spokesperson, said there had been an "open and honest dialogue".

However, she said few choices remain for councils to resolve the strikes without more money from the Scottish Government.

Vowing that "all option to avoid industrial action" will be explored, the SNP councillor said: "I reiterated to the cabinet secretary the very limited options available to local government, and that any solution needs to be both affordable and sustainable."

Unison members in Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire, East Lothian and East Renfrewshire council areas are to strike. Others in Fife, Glasgow, Inverclyde, Midlothian and North Lanarkshire areas will also take part, along with staff in Perth and Kinross, Stirling and West Lothian.

GMB's announcement means strikes will also affect services in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Edinburgh, East Dunbartonshire, Falkirk, Highland, Orkney, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire local authorities.

And the inclusion of Unite means Angus and Dundee City councils will also see industrial action.

Pay talks are hammered out between local government and unions, but Robison said she recognises "the importance of supporting meaningful dialogue" to avoid disruption to services.

She said: "We are navigating turbulent financial waters. This week’s statement from the chancellor revealed the extent of the challenges facing the public sector across the UK. What is particularly worrying is that in her statement the chancellor announced she is not fully funding the public sector pay deals she has accepted. Instead, cuts are being demanded across most of Whitehall. That means that we will not receive full Barnett consequentials from these pay deals.

"It is amid this extremely challenging landscape then, that I have asked my officials to work at pace with local government officers to understand what an improved negotiating envelope may look like. I welcomed the willingness of Cosla and trade union leaders to engage constructively with that process."

Hagmann said: "Cosla remains committed to continuing our negotiations towards finding a solution as quickly as possible, seeking to do all we can to avoid industrial action and its damaging impact on our communities. Council leaders value the local government workforce and their essential work across our communities, they recognise the workforce pressures and the need to reward equitably."

Cammy Day, the leader of Edinburgh City Council, yesterday urged all sides to find a resolution to avoid disruption in the capital during its busiest month of the year. 

He said: “I firmly believe that all council colleagues deserve to be paid fairly for the work they do and have every right to take this action and have their voices heard. As the lowest funded council in Scotland, it’s time for the Scottish Government to properly fund our capital city and its services.

“I’m extremely concerned about the impact this will have on bin collections and street cleaning services, as well as the cleanliness of our city. But I want to assure residents that we’ll be doing all we can to minimise any impact on essential services.

“I urge the Scottish Government and Cosla to stay round the table with the unions and find a way of averting, what will be, a hugely damaging dispute for Edinburgh – and for Scotland as a whole.”