Unions warn of ‘stinking summer’ but Swinney is keen to avoid council strikes
The First Minister spoke out as Unite and GMB became the latest trade unions to reject the new pay deal offered to council workers across Scotland.
First Minister John Swinney has insisted he is keen to see the council workers’ pay dispute resolved – after two more unions rejected the latest offer and warned the country could be facing a “stinking summer” with “mountains of rubbish” on the streets if a deal is not reached.
All three unions representing local government workers have now rejected the revised pay deal, which local government body Cosla had insisted was at the “absolute limit of affordability” for cash-strapped councils.
Unison, the largest trade union in Scotland’s councils, had already rejected the offer last week – with both Unite and the GMB doing the same on Monday.
Unite insisted the proposed 3.2% pay rise “grossly undervalues” Scottish council workers, pointing out their counterparts in England have been offered a pay rise of £1,290, which represents a 5.2% rise for those earning £25,000 a year.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Cosla has taken months to put a new offer to our local government membership and it’s one that does absolutely nothing to address more than a decade of deep cuts to pay and services.
“Unless Cosla and the Scottish Government move quickly to make an acceptable offer, then mountains of rubbish will pile up across the nation’s streets.
“The politicians have a choice, and one more chance, to resolve this pay dispute before strike action.”
Strike action two years ago saw rubbish pile up in Edinburgh as waste workers took action during the busy summer festival period.
This time round, Unite has a mandate for strike action by waste workers, street cleaners and recycling centre staff in 16 of Scotland’s 32 councils – with the union also in the process of reballoting its members in five local authority areas.
Graham McNab, an industrial officer with the union, said: “Cosla’s latest pay offer doesn’t add any extra cash. It continues to grossly undervalue Scotland’s council workers compared with the offer made to their counterparts across the UK.
“A stinking Scottish summer looms unless Cosla and the Scottish Government quickly sort this out by injecting more cash into a new offer.
“Any offer will need to value the lowest-paid council workers, at least, on similar terms as the offer made to other UK council workers.”
Mr McNab added: “The Scottish Government can no longer sit idly by, we are on the brink of nationwide strike action which could last for months.”
The GMB, which was the third union to formally reject the offer, said its members in “almost half” of Scotland’s 32 council areas had backed a walkout.
GMB Scotland senior organiser Keir Greenaway said: “For Cosla to suggest this is a revised and improved offer only insults the intelligence of our members.
“It is merely a repackaging of the previous offer already rejected as too low and too late.
“It begs the question why more weeks have been squandered on this when time is running out to halt imminent industrial action?”
While Mr Swinney stressed he wanted to avoid strike action, he refused to say if the Scottish Government would provide further money for councils to fund a pay deal.
The First Minister, speaking during a visit to Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, said: “I obviously want to avoid any industrial action taking place.”
He stressed, however, it was for local authorities and the trade unions to remain “engaged with dialogue” in a bid to resolve the dispute.
Mr Swinney said: “I am keen that dialogue and discussions are able to take their course, that we can avoid industrial action and have a resolution to that matter that avoids any interruption to services.”
Katie Hagmann, resources spokeswoman at Cosla, said: “We are extremely disappointed to hear that all three unions have rejected the revised offer.
“I’ll reiterate that the revised offer we put forward last week was a strong, fair and credible pay offer, higher than the rate of inflation and worth more than the first year of the Scottish Government’s public sector pay policy.
“We have been very clear in all discussions with trade unions that the offer is also at the very limit of affordability for councils given the challenging financial situation we are facing.
“While we are disappointed with this outcome, we remain committed to continuing to engage as positively as we can with our trade unions, as strike action is in nobody’s interests.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Willie Rennie said: “Two years ago stinking piles of waste stacked up while the Scottish Government stuck to the line that there was nothing they could do for far too long.
“It’s not as if these negotiations can come as a surprise to ministers. Councils are in a bind because the Scottish Government sets their budgets. John Swinney desperately needs to prove he is not as bad as Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf.
“One way to do that would be to head off these strikes before they come to pass.”
Scottish Labour local government spokesperson Mark Griffin said: “Another summer of bin strike chaos is looming if the SNP does not act. It is the SNP government’s brutal cuts to council budgets that created this mess and it is their responsibility to fix it.
“The SNP let litter pile up on our streets like it has in the past. These dedicated frontline workers deserve fair pay and people across Scotland deserve clean streets. Workers and the public relying on these services deserve better.
“The SNP must show leadership and get round the table with Cosla and trade unions to agree a fair deal for workers and prevent strike misery.”
