Bin collections in East and South Ayrshire will be hit in a fortnight’s time after unions formally set dates for strike action..
Unite union waste services members will begin striking on Wednesday, August 24 for a week after claiming the authorities had failed to improve on a ‘pitiful’ two per cent pay increase for council staff.
The GMB has also indicated two shorter strikes, from Friday, August 26 to Monday, August 29 and again from Wednesday, September 7 to Saturday, September 10.
Trade union members had voted for action in waste services last month.
In addition, catering and cleaning workers in East Ayrshire schools also agreed to strike. However, this action has not been confirmed at this stage and would be likely to take place at the start of September.
A South Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “We are currently working on measures which will limit the impact of any strike action on our waste services.
“We will communicate these plans to residents when they have been finalised.”
A spokesperson for East Ayrshire Council also confirmed it was determining the level of impact on bin collections.
They said: “This strike action will have an impact on bin collections within East Ayrshire and the council will be communicating with our communities as quickly as possible to outline alternative arrangements.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite’s members play a crucial role in keeping Scotland’s bins emptied and streets clean and they have had enough of the procrastination between COSLA and the Scottish Government that has led us to where we are now.
"Our members across all councils will receive the union’s complete support until this dispute is resolved and a fair pay offer secured. Unite will always defend the jobs, pay and conditions of its members."
Unite regional officer Wendy Dunsmore added: “Council workers have had enough of sub-standard settlements and deserve a decent wage to sustain their families given the inflation predictions and soaring food and energy prices.
“The failure of both COSLA and the Scottish Government to work to bring an improved offer to the table that could have halted this action means any blame for where we are now should be directed back to them.
“Unite will not tolerate that local government workers are the consistent poor relations and members have now had enough. We are calling once again on COSLA to make a fair and decent offer to workers now in order to avoid the forthcoming wave of strikes."
Deputy First Minister John Swinney had committed £140 million to support the pay settlement but unions say they have been given no further detail on how the figure breaks down.
A spokesperson for Unite said: “There has been no indication as to how the additional £140m funding will be used and while it is Unite’s understanding that these monies are for local government workers, that would include teachers."
GMB Scotland senior organiser Keir Greenaway said: “Make no mistake, these strikes are a direct response from our extraordinary key workers to months of political failure.
"They are not prepared to accept working poverty as an inevitability even if Scotland’s political leaders are.”
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