ANAS Sarwar has been accused of hypocrisy by the SNP for failing to criticise a Labour-run council over strikes by refuse collectors in Edinburgh.
Last October, the Scottish Labour leader went on a walkabout with cleansing workers in Glasgow when they threatened industrial action ahead of the COP26 conference.
The Glasgow MSP was outspoken in criticism of the SNP-led council, tweeting: “Anyone angry about the strike in Glasgow should be directing it at an arrogant and out-of-touch council leadership and the Scottish Government, not the workers.
“We applauded these workers and called them heroes through the pandemic. They are fighting for fairer pay and better services.”
However, last week, as hundreds of refuse workers staged a strike in Edinburgh during the busy festival season, Sarwar failed to comment in-depth on the refuse strikes or criticise the Labour-led council.
That is despite mentioning he had met with some Unite workers ahead of the strike in Edinburgh in an interview last week, in which he made a call for frontbenchers and MSPs to defy UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and join striking workers on picket lines.
The SNP also attacked Labour for siding with the Tories on a vote to offer an improved pay offer to local government workers.
On Friday, Cosla agreed to boost the original 3.5% pay offer to 5% at a special meeting of council leaders.
The vote for the 5% offer was tied at 16-16, with the SNP and independents for the motion and Labour and the Conservatives against, resulting in the casting vote by Cosla’s SNP president carrying the amendment over the line.
A spokesperson for the SNP said: “Anas Sarwar has never been slow previously to pitch up for a picture beside an overflowing bin. During COP26 he did a veritable grand tour of Glasgow, hunting out photo ops beside piles of fly-tipped rubbish.
“It’s not as if he has not been to Edinburgh recently after appearing at Festival Fringe events.
“Could it be because Labour runs Edinburgh City Council and his party is responsible if the capital’s streets are strewn with litter?
“Or perhaps he knows he is no longer the binmen’s best friend after his Labour colleagues on Cosla blocked a 5% pay rise for council workers by siding with the Tories and offering just 3.5%.”
The spokesperson added: “Hard-working council workers across Scotland are not fooled by hypocrite Sarwar, who claims to be on the side of workers while he does council deals with the toxic Tories.
“It’s really no surprise Scottish Labour’s electoral performances have been a raging skip fire for years.”
The Sunday National contacted Scottish Labour to check if Sarwar had made any comment – or had any comment to make – on the Edinburgh strikes, but did not receive a response.
