Bin strikes in Highland suspended after new 3.6 per cent pay offer from Cosla
Bin strikes which had been set to wreak havoc across the Highlands have been suspended after unions agreed to take a new pay deal to their members.
A strike involving multiple unions had been due to get under way across many Scottish council areas on Wednesday, and was set to run until August 22.
The threatened industrial action was in response to pay negotiations between unions and Cosla, the Scottish body that represents the country’s local authorities - including Highland Council.
The most recent previous offer of a 3.2 per cent rise had been rejected as too low by the likes of Unite, GMB Scotland and Unison.
READ MORE: ‘Can’t guarantee bin strikes won’t impact homes and businesses’ - Highland Council warns
But a revised offer of 3.6 per cent has sparked a temporary halt to the strike by Unite and GMB Scotland, with Unite saying it will now ballot members from August 15 to September 5 to see if they accept the new deal. If they reject it, strike action could be back on the table at that point. GMB Scotland has not yet revealed its planned ballot timeline, but said it plans to announce the results in September.
Responding to the new offer and suspension of strike action, Graham McNab, Unite’s lead negotiator for local government said: “Unite members across all of Scotland’s councils should be applauded for standing firm. They have remained resolute in an effort to secure a fairer and better pay offer."
“We believe that the new pay offer is credible. For the first time in years, it will mean all council workers receiving an above inflation increase."
“Unite will now suspend the eight days of strike action so a ballot can take place on the new offer.”
A minimum increase of 67 pence an hour or 3.6 per cent, whichever is better, will be applied to council workers if the offer is accepted. This amounts to an average 4.24 per cent increase for a one year period between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025.
The new offer represents a minimum cash increase of £1292 for the lowest paid council workers, which is equivalent to 5.2 per cent for those earning around £25,000. The Scottish local government living wage will also increase by 5.63 per cent.
The Cosla offer now lifts the minimum pay increase above the offer made to council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the National Joint Council (NJC), which was a key red line for Unite in Scotland.
Unite added that the Cosla offer represents “a significant improvement on the initial one made in May”. This offer amounted to 2.2 per cent running from 1 April to 30 September, and two per cent for a 12-month period running from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025. A further 3.2 per cent pay offer was also rejected outright by Unite in July.
Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in public services, said: “This offer is a significant improvement on what came before but our members will decide if it is acceptable.
“It is better than that offered to council staff in England and Wales, would mean every worker receives a rise higher than the Retail Price Index and, importantly, is weighted to ensure frontline workers gain most.
“As a gesture of goodwill, we will suspend action until our members can vote on the offer.
“It should never have got to this stage, however, and Scotland’s council leaders have again shown an absolute lack of urgency or sense of realism.
“For months, we have been forced to waste time discussing a series of low-ball offers when it was already clear the Scottish Government needed to be at the table.
"The obvious reluctance of some council leaders to approach ministers has only caused needless uncertainty and threatened disruption.
“That is no way to run a railroad or conduct serious pay negotiations.”
The broader rate of inflation (RPI) stood at 3.3 per cent in April which means that every council worker will receive an above inflation rise for the first time in years, if the offer is accepted.
