Unions call off garbage workers’ strike after new wage offer

Following a new salary offer from the council chairmen, the unions have suspended planned strike action by garbage workers.

The proposed deal would mean a wage increase of 3.6 percent for all salary groups, and for low earners an increase of £1,292, which equates to 5.63 percent.

The unions Unite, GMB and Unison took the weekend to think about the proposal, which they will now present to their members.

However, the three unions have different views on the new offer, with Unison announcing that it will recommend its members reject the offer, while Unite is urging them to accept it and the GMB is making no recommendation.

In 26 of Scotland’s 32 local government areas, staff planned to strike from August 14 to 22 after rejecting two pay increases previously proposed by local government body Cosla.

David O’Connor, Unison Scotland’s local government chairman, said the union believed the new offer was “still not enough”.

He added: “Council staff salaries have fallen by 25% over the last 14 years and any pay deal must do more to reverse this trend.”

“The union has made it clear from the beginning that the collective agreement must work for everyone in local government. This break will provide some breathing room for further discussion.”

Graham McNab, Unite’s local government negotiator, said members had “remained determined” in their efforts to secure a better pay deal.

He said: “We believe the new pay offer is credible. For the first time in years it means all council employees will receive a pay rise above inflation.

“Unite will now suspend the eight-day strike to allow a vote on the new offer to take place.”

GMB Scotland said the offer was “a significant improvement on its predecessor” but that the decision on whether to accept it would be up to members.

Senior public sector union organiser Keir Greenaway said: “It is better than what is being offered to council workers in England and Wales. It would mean every worker would get a rise above the retail price index. And, importantly, it is weighted to ensure that service sector workers benefit the most.”

“As a gesture of goodwill, we will suspend the measures until our members can vote on the offer.

“However, it should never have gotten to this stage and Scottish leaders have once again shown an absolute lack of urgency or realism.”

Cosla made the new offer on Friday after the Scottish Government provided additional funding to help communities with financing.

Katie Hagmann, a local authority spokeswoman, said: “We hope that this good offer, which is better than those available to local government officials in the rest of the UK, will be taken up.”

“We urge all eligible council staff to take this opportunity, accept the offer and reach a swift agreement and salary increase.”

First Minister John Swinney said funding the new service would involve difficult decisions for the government.

“We have no money left. In order to make this offer, we have to make cuts to other programs because the state of public finances is so tight and difficult,” he said.

“We have identified some sources of funding, but we also need to find other resources to be able to afford this special offer.

“We are doing this because we want to protect communities, but it will impact on the delivery of Scottish Government programs and services.”

The unions had previously been offered a retroactive wage increase of 3.2 percent from April.

Two years ago, a 12-day strike by refuse collectors left the streets of Edinburgh littered, particularly in Edinburgh, where the city’s summer festivals were taking place.

Due to the accumulation of waste in urban areas, the Scottish Health Authority was forced to issue a health alert.

The dispute was finally settled in early September, but only after an intervention by then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The immediate threat of a garbage strike has been averted, but the wage dispute at the local authorities is not yet over.

What happens now is in the hands of the members of the three major city unions.

It would be wrong to assume that members will vote to accept the offer.

One union recommends acceptance, another recommends rejection, and a third makes no recommendation.

One reason for Unison’s concern is that it believes more can be done to counteract what it sees as the long-term decline in the value of council salaries.

But is a better deal possible or realistic this year? Cosla and the Scottish Government argue that the deal on offer is difficult to finance and borders on financial viability.

However, the threat of joint action by all three unions resulted in a concentration of attention that might not have been possible if a single union had acted.

Now it’s the union members’ turn.