Thought the big clean-up had started? Glasgow streets are still piled high with rubbish despite refuse workers returning to streets of Scottish cities after strikes
- Images show rubbish piled high on Glasgow’s streets amid bin collectors’ strike
- Strikes in Edinburgh ended at 5am yesterday, while in other areas it ended today
- GMB Glasgow Convenor Chris Mitchell is leading calls in the city for better pay
- ‘It goes to show how important this job is – but it’s not reflected in workers’ pay’
Images of overflowing rubbish strewn across pavements in Glasgow are a familiar sight in the city as a nationwide-strike by refuse collectors drew to a close today.
Scotland’s big cities have reported backlogs in waste collection which refuse collectors may struggle to catch up with.
In the nation’s capital, industrial action coincided with the Edinburgh International Festival, adding further pressure on the backlog.
Strike action in Edinburgh ended at 5am yesterday, while most local authority areas saw workers return to work today, The Herald reports.
GMB Glasgow Convenor Chris Mitchell led calls in the city for better pay and conditions.
He said: ‘It’s day four of the cleansing strike in Glasgow and already there’s mountains of rubbish being dumped lying outside Queenslie recycling complex plus bulk items too.
‘It just goes to show you how important this job is but unfortunately it does not reflect workers’ pay.’
Rubbish and large waste items piled outside Dawsholm Recycling centre in Glasgow today
The bin strike finished in Glasgow today, but refuse workers will be faced with a significant backlog
Rubbish and large waste items piled outside Dawsholm Recycling centre in Glasgow today
The GMB trade union took footage which shows a bleak view of Glasgow amid the refuse strike. One clip shows a dumped mattress, pallets and bags of rubbish left on the pavement near the closed recycling centre.
Now, as refuse workers prepare to return to the streets, they will be faced with a significant backlog of rubbish.
Mr Mitchell added: ‘The Scottish Government and COSLA must stop playing political football with workers.
‘They deserve better and of course this should start right away with a pay rise that reflects on the conditions they face with cleansing.’
In Glasgow, the dispute followed a similar walkout less than 12 months previously during the COP26 climate summit.
Council leader Susan Aitken was widely criticised at the time, when she commented that the city just needed a ‘spruce up’.
The first refuse strike began in the capital on August 18 after the GMB, Unite and Unison refused a pay offer equivalent to a 3.5% increase.
Industrial action spread the next week when bin collectors at a 20 local authorities, – including Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee – walked out in spite of an uplifted 5% offer.
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