THE SNP-led Scottish government has found more cash for council workers as it scrambles to avoid another embarrassing bin strike during the Edinburgh Festivals and Fringe.
Union members, who have rejected the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla)’s latest pay offer, recycling and waste workers across 26 of Scotland’s 32 councils are due to walk out for eight days from Wednesday August 14.
Cosla described their rejected 3.2 per cent offer as “at the limits of affordability” in May.
But the goalposts appear to have moved in recent days as SNP finance secretary Shona Robison has stepped in with promises of more cash to pitch an upped offer amid fears of a repeat, two years on, of the embarrassment of rubbish piling up in the streets of Edinburgh during its festivals.
Ms Robison said: “Against an extremely challenging financial landscape, the Scottish government has identified additional funding to support Cosla to make a strong offer.
“The enhanced envelope represents the absolute limit of affordability and has required difficult decision-making.
“I hope Scotland’s council leaders can agree a way forward when they meet that will help to avert strike action starting next week, with a revised offer being made to local government union members and accepted as soon as possible.”
Welcoming the lifeline, Cosla resources spokeswoman Councillor Katie Hagmann said: “We have worked quickly and constructively with the Scottish government to increase the funding available.
“We hope that an acceptable revised offer can be made as soon as possible.”
GMB Scotland co-convener Chris Mitchell, however, made clear that only a deal like that seen in England, where the lowest-paid workers have been offered in the region of 5 per cent, would settle the dispute.
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland, Mr Mitchell said: “We’re hopeful of a credible offer like we have seen last year from our counterparts down south.
“I don’t think we should step down for less. They have had plenty of time to sort this crisis out and they have waited until the last minute.
“But I am hopeful and quietly confident that we get a deal.”
Unite’s local government lead Graham McNab said: “We are still not at the point where any new offer has been formally put to us but negotiations are continuing in an effort to find a breakthrough before any strike action takes place.
“The situation remains in the hands of the politicians.”
