Council waste workers are to go on strike later this month in a dispute over a two per cent pay offer.
Staff at Clackmannanshire Council will walk out in industrial action following the ongoing dispute.
Unite the union this week confirmed that waste workers in 15 councils, including in the Wee County, will take part in the latest strike, branding the pay offer as “pitiful”.
The days of strike action will begin on August 24 and end on August 31.
It’s estimated that around 1,500 Unite members across the 15 councils will join their colleagues in city of Edinburgh Cleansing and participate in the second wave of strike action. Unite will be the only union involved in this phase of council strike action.
The second wave of strike dates to hit all waste services in councils forms the next phase of a co-ordinated campaign to persuade the Scottish Government and COSLA to make a better pay offer.
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.
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“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.”
A spokesperson for Clackmannanshire Council told the Observer: “We are aware of discussions ongoing at a national level and hope to see an agreed position being reached. The council maintains business continuity plans to respond to events.”
The union is calling on COSLA to make a fair and decent offer to workers in order to avoid the forthcoming strikes.
It is reported that more than half of Scotland’s 250,000 council workers are earning less than £25,000 a year for a 37-hour week. Unite previously warned all new council leaders if they do not act to improve pay, they will see strikes over the summer.
