A union chief has hit out at the Scottish Government for slashing local authorities funding for 12 years as bin workers across the country hit the picket line to strike.
Wendy Dunsmore, Unite industrial officer, has urged the SNP government to meet union demands in order to halt the industrial action by waste workers that got underway today across 13 council areas.
Mountains of rubbish have piled up on the streets across Edinburgh since refuse workers went on strike on August 18.
Trade unions were offered a 5 per cent pay rise by Cosla, the body representing local government, but despite "productive" talks a deal was not reached.
Dunsmore took aim at the Scottish Government saying the Tory government in England was offering nearly £2000 to workers in a pay rise while her members in Scotland were being "offered on average £900".
She told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "There needs to be a proper recognition that there is a crisis out there for low paid workers. England, Wales and Northern Ireland local government workers have been offered £1925.
"Our members have been offered on average £900. That's less than half that's getting offered elsewhere. A Tory government is offering workers down south nearly £2000.
"I don't think it is a bad ask of the Scottish Government to at least meet that, but definitely improve on it. This all lies in the Scottish Government.
"The Scottish Government have cut the funding of local authorities year on year for the last 12 years, there is nothing left for Scottish local authorities to give. The Scottish Government have to give the full Barnett consequentials to local government which it was aimed for."
Edinburgh's waste workers in Unite are set to strike until August 30, while in the further 13 council areas industrial action will continue until August 31.
Unison and GMB will see their members walk out between August 26 to 29 and September 7 to 10.
Ben Macpherson, Minister for Social Security and Local Government, said the Scottish Government was "solution focused" to resolve the dispute.
He added: "The Scottish Government has worked over the recent period with trade unions and currently with local authority leaders to find solutions.
"We're solution focused in this situation. We want to use our resources and our limited powers to provide solutions in order to help people.
"It's a fact of the devolution settlement that the Scottish Government has limited resources and has limited powers. We will continue to engage constructively with Cosla because we all want to find solutions here and that's where our focus will remain."
When will strikes take place and which unions are taking industrial action?
Unite
Unite members from Aberdeen City, Angus, Dundee, East Ayrshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Falkirk, Glasgow, Highland, Inverclyde, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, West Lothian councils will all go on strike from August 24 to 31.
Unison
Unison members from Aberdeenshire, Clackmannanshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, Stirling and South Lanarkshire will walk out on August 26 to 29 then from September 7 to 10.
GMB
GMB members from Aberdeen, Angus, Dundee, East Ayrshire, East Lothian, Falkirk, Glasgow, Inverclyde, Highland, Midlothian, Orkney, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, West Lothian, Perth and Kinross, and North Lanarkshire will hit the picket line from August 26 to 29 then again from September 7 to 10.
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