Waste will “pile up” in Edinburgh’s streets this month as refuse workers go on strike for nearly two weeks over pay, according to unions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Waste, recycling, and street cleaning workers, according to Unite and the GMB, will stage a mass walkout during the “first wave” of industrial action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The protest in the capital is scheduled to begin on Thursday, August 18, and end on Tuesday, August 30, the day after the Edinburgh International and Fringe festivals conclude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second wave of industrial action is being planned in Scotland’s other major cities, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Dundee, with school and nursery walkouts to follow next month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unite, the GMB, and Unison are in a pay dispute with council umbrella body Cosla, with the current offer of 2% described as “derisory.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following talks with the Scottish Government this week, council leaders will meet on Friday to discuss whether they can make an improved pay offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With hundreds of thousands of tourists visiting the city and infrastructure under pressure, the strike action in Edinburgh is intended to cause the most disruption possible during the festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Waste will pile up during the Edinburgh festival unless a significantly improved pay offer for local government staff is tabled,” said GMB Scotland organiser Kirsten Muat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“When visitors from all over the world ask why this is happening, the answer will be simple: our members are not willing to have local services delivered on the backs of the working poor.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Our key workers deserved to be properly valued, and with forecasts of double-digit inflation and eye-watering energy bills, they urgently require pay that addresses the cost of living crisis.”<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Waste will “pile up” in Edinburgh’s streets this month as refuse workers go on strike for nearly two weeks over pay, according to unions. Waste, recycling, and street cleaning workers, … <\/p>\n