Bin workers will go on strike this Thursday after union members rejected a “derisory” pay offer from council leaders.
Unite said an improved offer was made by local authority body Cosla on Friday , after an initial 2% pay increase was rejected.
Its new proposal included an offer equivalent to a 3.5% increase.
At a meeting on Monday, members unanimously agreed to reject the revised offer outright and voted overwhelmingly to continue with their strike plans at councils across Scotland.
The formal rejection comes as strike action is set to begin this Thursday and will end on 30 August the day following the end of the Edinburgh International and Fringe festivals.
It is estimated that around 250 Unite members based in Edinburgh will participate in the ‘first wave’ of strike action. Unite will be the largest trade union in terms of members involved in this initial phase of council strike action to hit all waste services.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite’s local government representatives have rejected the paltry offer of 3.5% from COSLA. The offer is nowhere near good enough.
“Council leaders across Scotland including Edinburgh and Glasgow are publicly on the record acknowledging this reality so why should our members even consider it.
“We make no apologies for standing up for our members because they deserve better than what they are getting from the politicians.
“Unite will always defend the jobs, pay and conditions of its members.”
Council leader, Cammy Day, said: “Together with my fellow council leaders, I’ll continue to press the Scottish Government to resolve this as quickly as possible.
“I firmly believe that all council colleagues deserve to be paid fairly for the work they do and have every right to take this action and have their voices heard.”
