Council leaders to make trade unions improved pay offer to stop bin strikes

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Council leaders are to make trade unions an improved pay offer to stop bin strikes across Scotland.Local authority leaders decided at a meeting of the umbrella body Cosla on Friday morning that they would use the extra funds from the Scottish Government to offer unions a new deal.Cosla will meet unions on Friday afternoon to try and reach an agreement on a revised offer which they can put to members.It comes as Scotland faces a "stinking summer", with cleansing workers in most local authorities set to strike.Council workers from 26 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities are set to walk out for eight days from 5am on Wednesday August 14 to 4.59am on Thursday August 22.The 3.2 per cent previously offered by Cosla was rejected by GMB Scotland, Unison and Unite, leading to the planned walkout during part of Edinburgh’s festival period.Chris Mitchell, co-convener of GMB Scotland, said cleansing workers would not settle for an offer that was not in the region of five per cent.He told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: “We’re hopeful of a credible offer like we seen last year from our counterparts down south.“If that is produced today on the table I think we could certainly take that back to our members.”But he said he wanted to see a similar amount to that offered to staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and said it would be “seriously considered” if it was in the region of the requested five per cent.Mitchell added: “I don’t think we should step down for less.

I think it has been a very tough eight months trying to negotiate with Cosla and the Scottish Government.“We have given them every opportunity to try and avert any kind of strike action.”He told the programme: “I don’t think we’re holding anybody