A SCOTTISH Green councillor has called out Unionist members of Edinburgh City Council for “crossing the picket line” at city chambers amid the capital's ongoing bin strikes.
Chas Booth suggested that Tory, Labour and LibDem councillors should have followed the example of SNP and Green representatives by showing up to an Edinburgh Licensing Board meeting online, rather than in person.
He wrote: “At Edinburgh Licensing Board today, SNP & Green members insisted on joining remotely to avoid crossing the @UniteCECbranch & @GMB_union picket line.
“Some Labour, Tory & LibDem members crossed the picket line at City Chambers.”
At Edinburgh Licensing Board today, SNP & Green members insisted on joining remotely to avoid crossing the @UniteCECbranch & @GMB_union picket line. Some Labour, Tory & Lib Dem members crossed the picket line at City Chambers. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/dPZqIYR9Ex
— Chas Booth 🇪🇺🇺🇦 (@CllrChasBooth) August 29, 2022
However, Iain Whyte, leader of the Tory group in Edinburgh City Council, denied the presence of a picket line at city chambers and that there hadn’t been one throughout the bin strikes.
He described Booth’s tweet as “petty politicking”.
Edinburgh is currently on its eleventh day of the strikes, with the city's streets becoming strewn with litter amid cleansing workers' industrial action.
And the dispute shows no signs of abating with the latest offer from Cosla being rejected following the fifth round of negotiations with Unite.
The latest offer, which would have seen around £1925 extra in pay, was described by the union as a "waste of precious time".
Cosla has said that it is “disappointed” that the offer was not accepted and that it was “as good as it gets”, claiming that local councils could not afford a higher pay rise.
Meanwhile, the First Minister said on Twitter that she understood the pressure workers were facing but added that “all options" had been exhausted to make more funding available "to support those on lowest incomes.”
Kevin Lang, leader of the Lib Dems in Edinburgh City Council, said: "Chas Booth is one of the nicest and most hardworking councillors I know. The visceral online reaction he got to his tweet, even being labelled a 'scab' for his decision to go to work by crossing a virtual picket line, was wholly unfair and wrong. I have every confidence that Chas will keep working, just as he has done throughout the industrial action".
The Labour group leader in Edinburgh City Council has been contacted for comment.
