New waste strikes a ‘direct response to political failure’ on council staff pay
New waste strikes a ‘direct response to political failure’ on council staff pay
GMB Scotland has announced this morning (Friday 12 August) further strike dates affecting waste and recycling services across Scottish local government, as council chiefs meet again to deliberate a new pay offer for staff.
Two four-day strikes have been confirmed in all waste and recycling services where statutory mandates for action were secured (see Notes to Editors for councils affected). The strikes will run from Friday 26th to Monday 29th August, and Wednesday 7th to Saturday 10th September.
It follows last week’s announcement that GMB members in the City of Edinburgh Council waste and recycling service will join strike action running from Thursday 18th to Tuesday 30th August.
GMB Scotland Senior Organiser Keir Greenaway said:
“Unless COSLA and the Scottish Government make a significantly improved pay offer, more strikes will start across councils in just a few weeks.
“Both parties are squabbling while more of our members struggle with debt, fuel poverty, and hunger, exposing a huge gulf between politics and frontline workers. This is only increasing anger and fear among our members - anger over the lack of value shown to them and fear about what winter will bring in this cost-of-living crisis.
“Make no mistake, these strikes are a direct response from our extraordinary key workers to months of political failure. They are not prepared to accept working poverty as an inevitability even if Scotland’s political leaders are.”
ENDS
Contact: GMB Scotland Communications on 07976 447077
Notes to Editors:
The strike dates for waste and recycling involving GMB Scotland members will affect the following councils:
- Aberdeen City
- Angus
- Dundee
- East Ayrshire
- East Lothian
- Falkirk
- Glasgow
- Inverclyde
- Highland
- Midlothian
- Orkney
- South Ayrshire
- South Lanarkshire
- West Lothian
- Perth and Kinross
- North Lanarkshire
“Key workers who kept country going in pandemic ‘facing poverty amid cost of living crisis”, Sunday Mail, 1 May 2022, access at: << Key workers who kept country going in pandemic 'facing poverty amid cost of living crisis' - Daily Record>>
