Bin strikes to go ahead across Scotland despite new pay offer

Bin strikes across Scottish local authorities will go ahead this week despite a new pay offer being made.

Trade unions queried a previous offer of a 5% uplift, saying they needed more detail about how it would impact the lowest paid members.

Cosla, the body representing local government, said it had a productive meeting with trade unions on Tuesday.

But Unison said they were "a long way" from agreement and called for more funding from the Scottish government.

Johanna Baxter, Unison Scotland's head of local government, said: "Cosla negotiated within the cost envelope that leaders mandated them but that simply isn't enough and goes nowhere near matching the pay offer provided to council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland."

She added: "The only thing that both parties could agree on is that we need the urgent intervention from the deputy first minister to put additional funding in place and both will be writing to the deputy first minister to that effect today."

Local authorities had initially proposed a 3.5% increase before upping their offer to 5%, with the minimum hourly rate also to be raised to £10.50.

Members from the Unite and GMB unions are also involved in the pay dispute. Cosla said it hoped they would consult with their members on the fresh offer.

Hundreds of GMB and Unite union members in Edinburgh's waste and recycling service have already begun a strike which was planned to last until 30 August.

Unison said a total of 13,000 members would be involved.

It will see schools, early years centres and nurseries disrupted in Aberdeenshire, Clackmannanshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, Orkney, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire and Stirling.

The unions represent workers including school catering staff, cleaners, caretakers, teaching assistants and early years practitioners.

Refuse workers in Edinburgh began industrial action on 18 August. Bin collectors from 14 other councils will begin their strike on 24 August:

A further seven councils will see refuse collections halted from 26 August:

Industrial action by staff in schools, nurseries and early years' centres in nine council areas are scheduled to walk out on 6, 7 and 8 September: