Strikers: ‘All we are asking for is a decent wage for a decent day’s work’ as Highland Council staff explain why they took industrial action warning many are ‘on the breadline’
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Striking council workers say they have no option but to strike over pay because many are on £18,000-£19,000 a year which is leaving many “on the breadline” according to one worker.
Two Unite pickets in Dingwall and Alness saw around 20 strikers turn out to make their point about pay including a number of GMB members who joined them in a show of support before they too walkout tomorrow.
So far the industrial action has seen bins in more than two dozen communities not emptied while Inverness city centre has not been cleaned in two days nor have public bins been cleared either.
Though some did not wish to be identified, there was a sense of sadness or frustration that having worked throughout the pandemic there was too little appreciation for their efforts for doing a hard job.
Related Stories:
- STRIKE UPDATE: No street cleaning in Inverness as Highland Council confirms areas affected by walkout amid reports some bins are being emptied in the city while Easter Ross looks like it has been hit worst by the industrial action
- Unions reject 'disappointing and frankly shameful' pay offer as waste, street cleaning and recyling staff start walkout after talks with Cosla and the Unite and GMB unions fail
- Why your bins will not be emptied this week as Highland Council confirms waste, street cleaning and recycling staff will strike after last minute pay offer arrives too late for GMB and Unite unions to put to members
Dingwall
“Asked why they came out on strike, one man said: “More money, it is as simple as that. It is the cost of living and it is not just us, you’ve got barristers and post office workers coming out as well – everybody is feeling it.
“It doesn’t matter what we get as a wage rise we get, it will become insignificant, a drop in the ocean by the time these bills come in. We don’t want to be out on strike, we would rather be out working. A big part of it is feeling valued.
“I think the money has to come from the UK government because Scotland only gets so much from the UK and when you think about the billions that are being made in profits from these utilities companies and the government is letting that go.
“It is the same for a loaf up here as it is down there so the cost of living is just as much up here as it is down there like heating your home but we have to be realistic and people appreciate that what we do is about cleanliness, it is about hygiene.”
Striker: “I am on £18,000 to £19,000 a year, I am on £9.50 an hour. I was agency staff and then when I got a full time job with the council I actually lost money on that and the difference was about 25p to 30p an hour less which adds up.
“All we are asking for is a decent wage for a decent day’s work. Everybody is feeling the pinch, we understand that but it is hard to come on strike – just to get a decent wage.
“And we don’t know what the winter is going to bring yet either with the electricity, the gas. Like I said, I am on £18,000 to £19,000 a year – that is not a lot to live on, it is tough.”
Striker: “Plus Covid when it hit, we just had to just get our heads down and get on with it, we had no help really at all but none of us missed a beat, we have all been in, straight through because we were classed as key workers.”
“There have been a few people passing and wishing us good luck.”
Alness
Striker: “Well, £18,000 to £19,000 – that is a really poor wage for a working man. This is keeping the place clean, it is a sanitary issue, it is important work and we feel undervalued
“It is an essential service, I mean a lot of people don’t realise the work we actually do because by the time they get up in the morning, the streets are all cleaned and bins emptied.
“Cosla has been slow on this, very slow, they should be speeding things up because it is just going to escalate right out of proportion – you can see that in Edinburgh right now.
“Even without the cost of living the pay is still on the breadline, we have so far to travel to work, the cost of fuel – you could see people leaving, that is well talked about and a common thought among most of the boys.
“We have had a lot of people come down to the sites and the community seems to be standing by us and there are people in other unions who are refusing to cross the picket line out of respect.
“I think the council may have to dig into its reserve budget to try and get this sorted out but I don’t think we will get the result we want, there will be a compromise somewhere but it will be an improvement.
“We were working all through Covid and didn’t get an awful lot of appreciation from people for doing that, especially the management who we work for.
“I think if it goes on too long the public might not be so supportive but everyone is keen to resolve this and get back to our jobs – we can’t afford to keep going on strike.
