Union’s bid to win £500 bonus for frontline staff stalls ahead of motion

GLASGOW’S cleansing staff have reached a stalemate over their bid to receive a £500 bonus as frontline workers.

GMB’s branch 40 is working to secure the payment, which was offered to NHS staff late last year by the Scottish Government, on behalf of the city’s refuse workers.

The union insists the key service provided by staff throughout the entire duration of the pandemic proved they also deserved the cash boost.

However, as previously reported by the Glasgow Times, the government maintained it was an issue for Glasgow City Council as the bin men and women are employed directly by the local authority.

Chris Mitchell, the branch convenor, said: “What the Scottish Government need to realise is how important cleansing work is.

“We are at the forefront stopping other diseases from spreading in the community.”

A spokesman for the council said a motion has now been put forward calling on Holyrood to fully fund a pay rise for all the city’s frontline workers, including refuse staff.

He said: “We fully recognise the phenomenal contribution frontline staff have made to the city at this extremely difficult time.

“A full council motion has called for a pay rise for all frontline staff, including cleansing staff, that is fully funded by the Scottish

Government. We believe this would provide a meaningful tribute to those who have continued to deliver essential services throughout the pandemic.”

However, a spokesman for the Scottish Government knuckled down on the issue, insisting it falls to the council to set wages for its own employees.

He said: “Local government pay is a matter for individual local authorities.

“For our part, we have ruled out following the UK Government’s public sector pay freeze and on Thursday Finance Secretary Kate Forbes will set out the Scottish Budget and our public sector pay policy for the coming year.”