Union urges John Swinney to break deadlock as 'stinking summer' bin strikes loom
dailyrecord.co.ukUnions have urged John Swinney to intervene to stop a "stinking summer" of bin strikes taking place over Scotland.GMB Scotland has written to the First Minister urging him to break the deadlock on council pay and avert the looming industrial action.It comes as local authority leaders attend emergency talks today.
They were previously not due to meet until August.Unions rejected a revised offer of 3.2 per cent from Cosla earlier this week.
Cosla is the local authority body which represents councils.At a leaders’ meeting last month, SNP councillors voted down a call to approach the Scottish Government for assistance despite cleansing and refuse workers preparing for industrial action.Louise Gilmour, GMB Scotland secretary, urged council leaders to reconsider at the special meeting today while calling on the first minister to intervene to help forge agreement.She said: “Councils have limited finances and Cosla claims an improved offer is impossible.“If the Scottish Government does not come to the table, there will be no meaningful discussions, no route to a resolution and no chance of halting strike action.“The gridlock has been caused by some council leaders blocking attempts to approach the Scottish Government.
The first minister could and should break that gridlock.”Gilmour said any offer to Scots council workers must, at a minimum, match the four per cent offered in England’s local authorities particularly since the new UK government is hinting at even higher awards to teachers and nurses down south.She said today’s special meeting of council leaders is one of the last chances to avert industrial action.GMB Scotland already has a mandate for cleansing strikes in almost half of Scots councils and is reballoting members
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk