REFUSE workers in Glasgow have warned that further strike action is on the horizon after recent talks with the council failed to fully address their concerns over pay.

The GMB union said that three-quarters of members in the city’s cleansing services believe that the talks, which yielded 14 action points for the future of the service, did not go far enough, with four-fifths of those members saying they would be willing to strike again in response.

The workers, who took part in strike action during the Cop26 summit earlier this month, will be formally balloted in December. 

GMB Scotland organiser Sean Baillie said there “must be change in Glasgow.”

“Scotland’s biggest city has deep and chronic problems — it is blighted by low-pay and discrimination and its budget has been hammered by years of cuts,” he said. “That’s not talking Glasgow down, it’s simply stating the facts.

“But our members aren’t going to stand on ceremony — they understand it’s only through their industrial strength that they can hope to make work better and ultimately make Glasgow better.”

The city could also be hit by strikes in other services, with the GMB saying that 99 per cent of its members across home care, education and Glasgow Life, which delivers sports and culture activities on behalf of the council, are prepared to take industrial action.

The union said the council was attempting to exclude more than a fifth of posts from future liabilities under the 2019 equal pay settlement scheme.

A council spokesman said it did not believe there would be any justification for strike action and claimed that it is currently negotiating on equal pay in good faith.

”The 14-point plan for the cleansing service was rejected by GMB leadership a fortnight ago but there has been constructive dialogue with GMB leadership since then,” he said.