Highland Council vowing to work to “minimise any disruption” if union votes on waste workers strike threaten a summer of stench and overflowing bins
Highland Council should know by early next month whether homes and businesses across the region face the possibility of a summer of overflowing bins and stench on the streets.
All three of Scotland’s biggest unions serving waste and recycling staff have rejected a pay offer from Cosla to local government workers.
In the Highland area, only Unite the Union so far has a mandate for strike action, but has yet to declare if and when it might take strike action.
A Unite spokesman indicated that a decision will be made after re-balloting five other Scottish councils at the end of this month.
With GMB also re-balloting waste workers late in July, any strike action agreed by the unions would most likely be announced early in August.
UNISON also favours strike action and has the backing of members in many parts of the country, but not Highland.
Highland Council has pledged to do all it can to minimise the impact of any coming strike locally, but previous strikes in cities like Edinburgh have seen rubbish piling high and stench on the streets.
A Highland Council spokeswoman said: “The only trade union which has a mandate for strike action, covering waste services is Unite. Highland Council has not been notified of any proposed dates for action from Unite.
“GMB has gone back out to re-ballot their waste staff and this ballot is due to close at the end of July.
“UNISON in Highland did not receive a mandate from their members to back strike action however are currently arranging to ballot their school based members and this ballot will close on 29 August.
“The council will notify businesses and residents when dates are announced by Unite and we would seek to minimise any disruption, however we cannot guarantee there will not be an impact on service delivery.”
Cosla’s previous offer, rejected in May, would have seen workers receive a 2.2 per cent wage increase from April 1 to September 30 this year and an additional 2 per cent from October 1.
The latest offer, also rejected, would have amounted to a 3.2 per cent increase for a one-year period between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025.
A spokesman for Unite told the Courier: “No decision has been made (on strikes and strike dates).
“We are re-balloting five councils and the results come in on 29 July, so any decision will be thereafter.”
Unite says the latest pay offer “grossly undervalues” Scottish council workers in contrast with the offer made to UK counterparts.
An offer of £1,290 has been made to council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the National Joint Council (NJC).
This equates to a rise of 67p per hour or 5.2 per cent for a council worker earning around £25,000 based on a 37-hour week.
In contrast, the COSLA offer of 3.2 per cent equates to £800 or a 41p per hour increase.
The union also says the lowest paid council workers are being disproportionately hit by COSLA’s offer.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “COSLA has taken months to put a new offer to our local government membership, and it’s one that does absolutely nothing to address more than a decade of deep cuts to pay and services.
“Unless COSLA and the Scottish government move quickly to make an acceptable offer then mountains of rubbish will pile up across the nation’s streets.
“The politicians have a choice, and one more chance, to resolve this pay dispute before strike action.”
