Swinney urged to act to avert strike by refuse staff during Edinburgh festivals

The leader of Edinburgh City Council has called on First Minister John Swinney to intervene and prevent refuse workers from taking strike action during the Scottish capital’s busy summer festival period.

Cammy Day warned the eight-day strike later this month, announced by three local government unions, will be a “tough time” for the council, adding “the impact will not be pleasant over the festival time”.

Having already warned strikes could lead to a “stinking Scottish summer”, the unions Unison , Unite and the GMB all announced waste and recycling staff will walk out over pay from 5am on Wednesday August 14 to 4.59am on Thursday August 22, with in 26 of Scotland’s 32 councils affected.

The action comes after the unions rejected the 3.2% pay rise offered, which local government body Cosla insisted was at the limit of affordability for councils.

A similar strike in 2022 was only resolved when the Scottish Government stepped in and provided additional funding for council workers’ pay.

With the unions insisting the offer is less than that being made to their counterparts in England, Mr Day urged Scottish ministers to “find that little more to avert strike action”.

He told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “It is now time for John Swinney or his Cabinet secretary to intervene with a solution, that is what we are waiting for.

“Twenty-six councils will have strike action in two weeks’ time, and the only resolution to that will be if Cosla and the Scottish Government can work with the trade unions to find a solution.

“What we’re asking is for Cosla and the Scottish Government to get round that table and find that little more to avert strike action across the 26 councils all over Scotland.”

The Labour councillor insisted local authorities are not able to stump up more cash themselves, saying the 3.2% offer was already a stretch for many of them and “any more would mean reductions and cuts in services from local government”.

Talks took place on Tuesday involving Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison, Cosla leaders and the unions.

While no new deal was agreed Ms Robison said afterwards that her officials will work with local government to “understand what an improved negotiating envelope may look like”.

Mr Day said his understanding is the unions “expect no less than the national settlement, which was around 4%”.

He added: “I think we are nearly there, but local governments across Scotland are stretched to their maximum and we need the Government, as they have done the last few years, to support local government and our trade unions and Cosla to find that little bit more and avert strike action.”

Speaking to journalists later on Thursday, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar urged the Government to get unions and local authorities back to the table to ensure the strikes do not become an “annual event” during the festivals.

Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesperson Willie Rennie also demanded action from ministers, saying: “Two years ago, stinking columns of rubbish were allowed to pile up in the streets, and now this SNP Government has allowed it to happen again.

“Ministers need to skip the posturing and bring something meaningful to the table.”

But the Lib Dem MSP added: “The unions need to be reasonable too, they are not the only public sector workers who need a pay rise.”