TRADE unionists from Unite, Unison, GMB and EIS stood shoulder to shoulder with housing and community campaigners today, united in opposition to cuts to Edinburgh City Council.

Anti-cuts protesters converged on the city chambers to demand a better deal from the SNP-Green Scottish government, as councillors prepared to meet and agree how to fill a £70 million black hole in the city’s finances.

City of Edinburgh Unite branch convener Graham Smith told the Star: “Council workers make up one of the biggest industrial sectors in Scotland and they have suffered 15 years of real-terms cuts.