Unite announce bin strikes for South and North Ayrshire

Trade union Unite today confirmed that waste and cleansing service workers will begin a strike action in 18 council areas from Wednesday, August 14 until Thursday, August 22.

But the union said strike action was not yet inevitable and welcomed “positive Scottish Government talks“.

Unite has the largest union membership on the verge of participating in a first wave of strike action involving waste workers, street cleaners, and recycling centre operator

Strike action by members of the GMB and Unison was also confirmed for the same dates today - but the only part of the county to be affected by that action will be East Ayrshire.

Unite welcomed “positive talks“ held yesterday (Tuesday) involving Shona Robison MSP, cabinet secretary for finance and local government, unions and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA). 

But they warned a new "credible offer" must be tabled "imminently" and said they would not suspend its scheduled strike action until that occurs.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Thousands of Unite members will take strike action next month unless there is a new credible pay offer put on the table.

“Our membership has waited months for an offer which reflects their professionalism and the dedication which they put into delivering vital local services.”

The current COSLA pay offer amounts to a 3.2 per cent increase for a one-year period between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025.

Unite has said the pay offer “grossly undervalues“ Scottish council workers in contrast with the offer made to UK counterparts. 

An offer of £1,290 has been made to council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the National Joint Council (NJC). This equates to a rise of 67 pence per hour or 5.2 per cent for a council worker earning around £25,000 based on a 37-hour week.

In contrast, the COSLA offer of 3.2 per cent equates to £800 or a 41 pence per hour increase. 

The pay offer difference means that a Scottish council worker would need to earn above £40,000 to match the offer being made to council workers across the UK. This means the lowest paid council workers are being disproportionately hit by COSLA’s current pay offer.  

Graham McNab, Unite industrial officer, added: “Unite stands ready to enter into meaningful negotiations at any time but our members need to see a significant shift in the coming days to avert strike action. Strike action is not yet inevitable but action from the politicians must be imminent.

“There is a window of opportunity to resolve this dispute but the politicians should be under no illusions that our members will take strike action if necessary to secure the pay offer which they deserve.”