A new pay agreement has been reached to resolve a municipal wage dispute that has prompted bin strikes throughout Scotland.
Currently, three unions involved in negotiations with the local government umbrella organization Cosla are discussing the offer.
Two-thirds of Scotland’s 32 municipalities have been affected by bin strikes, and garbage is piling up in many city and town centers.
As part of the industrial action, hundreds of schools and nurseries are expected to close for three days the next week.
The offer’s specifics have not yet been made public.
The unions desire an agreement comparable to the one reached with municipal employees in England, which includes a $1,925 flat-rate pay raise.
They claim that granting a percentage pay increase would result in the highest compensation going to the highest-paid employees.
If the unions accept the new offer, they will next present it to their members. In several local authority areas, the current wave of strikes is scheduled to finish on Wednesday, and at 4:59 a.m. in Edinburgh.
The first bin strike began in the capital city on August 18, amidst the festival season, after the GMB, Unite, and Unison rejected an early salary offer of a 3.5% raise.
Despite a revised 5% offer, refuse employees at an additional 20 local councils, including Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Dundee, walked off the job last week.
If the action is not canceled, the second wave of strikes will commence the following week.
This will result in the closure of schools and nurseries, as well as the second round of bin strikes.
The Scottish government has provided an additional £140 million to councils to fund staff pay increases. He urged both parties to seek a “fair conclusion” to the conflict.
Ben MacPherson, minister for social security and local government, stated on BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland that Cosla met with local government leaders to explore a “possible proposition” after “productive discussions” in recent days.
However, he stated, “It would be inappropriate for the Scottish government to comment more than to continue to urge all sides to seek a fair resolution to the dispute as quickly as practicable.”
He said, “We are not the employer in this case, but we are working with local government authorities to find a solution because we, like everyone else, want to see this matter resolved.”
“Working diligently to catch up”
In the meantime, the City of Edinburgh Council announced that more resources will be deployed on Tuesday, when the strike there ends, to assist with the cleanup.
Cammy Day, leader of the council, said: “This disagreement has highlighted the importance of our garbage and cleaning teams, as well as their right to a decent wage, and I’m thrilled that they’ll be back at work on Tuesday, working to restore our city to its former glory.
“It will take some time for things to return to normal, despite their efforts to catch up on collections and gather rubbish across the city.
Please be patient with them during this time, and if you can store your additional waste safely for a while longer or make an appointment with a recycling center, please do so.
On the scheduled day of collection, residents are urged to place their bins out as usual, and excess rubbish will be collected if it is bagged.
Public Health Scotland has warned of a risk to human health posed by overflowing trash bins and advised local governments to clean the affected areas.
